Vermin Tide Quest
by Xerzes
Summary: A band of five bickering heros end up in a world where heresy is committed on a daily basis, and as mutant abominations combining Humans and animal anatomy prowl the land, they must do what they do best in times like these: Go on a killing spree of course! Rated M for violence, and other obvious reasons. No lemons.
1. Chapter 1

**Vermin Tide Quest**

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Chapter 1

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Victor Saltzpyre and the other four members of his party were clearing out the last of the Skaven that were being sent by their Grey Seer to stall them while he prepared his black magics atop of a stone pillar. The Witch Hunter was currently using his rapier and a pistol, one of the many he had hidden underneath his black trench coat, coated in blood like his hat while standing on a stair case dueling with three Clanrats. Victor stabbed the one to the left in the stomach, and shot the middle one in the head when he rushed to take advantage of the supposed opening the Witch Hunter made. The Bright Wizard Sienna blocked the last one's sword with her own burning one, then parried the ratmans second swing to decapitate it. As the smell of burning fur and flesh could be sensed she turned to her former captor.

"Watch your blind spot, Saltzpyre! It would be a shame for you to lose both eyes!" she yelled out, causing the Witch Hunter to look at her with a scowl.

"We need to destroy the ratman witch while he is distracted." Victor said in a gravelly voice. He then pointed with rapier at a ledge while shooting a Slave rat that tried to sneak up on the two with a second pistol he pulled out from his coat. Sienna wondered how the man carried so many of them to battle, as he almost always seemed to have another one of the devices when you think the Witch Hunter was finally out, espcially noticeable when he had a Volley Crossbow as well. "Go and attack him from above with a flurry of Bolts to wear out his shield. I'll get him from behind with a bomb. Take care not to immolate yourself like you did against those Rat Orges back at the farm." The man said, pulling out a black sphere and a flint and steel, then ran around a corner, where Markus Kruber could be heard shouting out curses at a swarm of Clanrats surrounding him and a Dwarf Ranger.

"All you beasts go rot in the Warp!" Kruber screamed, cleaving at least ten or so Skaven in half with a single swing of his great sword, while the Dwarf Bardin Goreksson pointed his Grudge Raker at a group of Slaverats and blasted them to pieces, the Dwarf shotgun belching clouds of lead and ripping them apart.

"Well done Umgi, reminds me of my cousin Okri! Absolute madman would charge into the Thagoraki and do that as well!" the cheerful Ranger said, laughing boisterously as he reloaded, then sidestepped a surviving Skavens swing with a broken chair leg. Bardin then smashed its skull in by beating it repeatedly with the end of the Grudge Raker, switching to to an axe and shield to charge at a lone Stormvermin. Victor ran inbetween Kruber and the Bardin.

"Oi, Victor where you going?!" Markus yelled.

"To finish this fight!" the Witch Hunter yelled, running through the opened area in the sewers the Uberseik Five as they were called were fighting after being attacked in the Red Moon Inn. The tell-tale signs of the Wood-Elf Kerillian could be seen in the form of dead Skaven, either cut apart with her duel swords or shot with arrows that impaled them on the walls.

The lot of five bickering warriors had stopped a Skaven Vermintide, an attempt of the underground-dwelling ratmen to conquer the world above. The Skaven tried to establish a foothold in Ubersreik, but the five heros banded together despite their differences stop them after seemingly killing the Grey Seer in charge. It quickly turned out otherwise, as they suddenly found themselves almost a day later being attacked in the Red Moon Inn by what remained, and now they were in the sewers once again, in a chamber where what looked by Skaven standards to be a back up plan was being performed.

"Fool fools, kill-stab the interloper-things!" the Geer Seer screeched from the pillar he was standing on, as more Skaven crawled out of their holes to attack the Witch Hunter. He threw his bomb, blowing up the group as he grabbed a second one from his coat. He questioned why he and the others never thought to carry more then one, which soon paid itself in spades when they then started doing so. A number of bolts of fire made by the Wind of Aqshy suddenly pelted the green barrier the Grey Seer surrounded himself in, along with a number of arrows from wherever the Wood Elf was hiding. The Grey Seer turned in anger. "You dare-try to face me breeder-things?! You will die-die for your foolish-idiocy! For you are too late-late!" the Skaven warlock started cackling madly, as he created some form of vile green mist just as Markus and Bardin ran in with the Witch Hunter, whose eyes widened in terror.

"BY SIGMAR NNNNOO-" he screamed, as the Ubersreik Five was shunted away from the Old World, and into a new one. One which would be steeped in heresy and abominations of all kinds in the eyes of those who served the cause of Order...

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**POV SHIFT**

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As Luka and Alice were walking along one of the countryside roads to the port town of Illias Dock, Alice stopped. The Human looked behind him, and faced the Lamia.

"What's wrong?" he asked, noticing the look of confusion in the half-snake woman. Almost a second later, the sky crackled with green and vile energies, and Alice fell over screaming as she held her head. Luka did as well, feeling the sudden pressure of an uncountable number of eyes looking upon him and everything else in the world. A chattering and high-pitched demonic laugh of triumph resounded in his head, and when it ceased, he turned and saw that his companion was looking around with a shaken look on her face.

"What was that?!" he yelled while tightening his grip on the Angel Halo sword, shaken by the sudden event that transpired.

"I don't know. This was definitely not from something in our world, I know that much. None of the Elements were used in whatever spell that was." Alice responded, rubbing her arms, which wore black elbow length gloves. Her purple skin had goosebumps. The two then went on alert when a green hole opened in front of them. A distinct yelling could be heard, growing louder as the two went and hid behind a stone wall on one side.

"-_**EEEIIIIINNNNNNN!" **_it screamed, before a man dressed in strange attire fell out and hit the ground, groaning in pain before a woman in green cloth and furs landed on top of him. Alice peeked over the wall and looked at them alongside Luka. The woman, who had already jumped over and somersaulted before landing on her feet, was looking around the area, towards the trees of the forest across from them. What stood out most was that she clearly had Elf-ears, and moved like one in how she drew her bow in mid-air. However, she was oddly modest in her clothing,, which also had what looked like wooden armor, and took an unrecognized stance which lowered her profile. Everything was familiar, yet not as far as the two were concerned, before the Elf loosed her glowing blue arrow at something. Two Harpies and a Slug Girl came out to investigate the disturbance, only for one of them to fall over dead as the arrow swerved and stuck itself in the Slug Girls head, an explosion of neon blue mist and gore being released as it went through and finally embedded into one of the Harpies' neck. The other screamed in terror, as the Elf readied and loosed a second one without pause, which chased the flying Monster into the forest. During this, the man got up while the Monster Lord flew out in rage and tackled the Elf, ignoring the Human as she grabbed her prey by the neck.

"MURDERER!" she screamed, her voice bellowing out and threatening to blow out the eardrums of those around her. "WHY DID YOU ATTACK YOUR OWN KIN?!" the Lamia yelled, shaking the Elf before stopping. It looked at Alice with scared eyes that were gold, but Alice noticed that where there should be white, her eyes were black. Just as the Elf was about to say something, Alice sensed the man running towards her. She swiped with her tail, hitting the man and sending him flying over the wall, where Luka went to him.

"Are you alright?" he asked in shock, as the man pulled and drunk a potion of some weird liquid. After a few seconds of what sounded like cracking bones, the man got up and pushed Luka to the side, pulling out two strange wood and metal objects of some kind from his coat, instead of the oddly designed crossbow he had on his back. When he aimed one at Alice, Luka realized they were weapons, and just managed to grab the strangers arm and yanked it as the two began to to struggle. However, the man still managed to fire off a shot.

***Bang!***

Suddenly Alice screamed, as her hip was suddenly bleeding crimson blood, while the Elf stabbed the distracted Lamia in the arm with by the now berserk Lamia until she was unconscious. A second banging sound snapped out, and Alice ducked as she heard something whiz towards her head, dodging the projectile. She turned and saw Luka was struggling with the man,who headbutted the self-proclaimed Hero in the face, before drawing out and raising a rapier of some design she never had seen before. Alice then cast an Earth-based spell, causing the ground to open up and then close on the attacker as he fell, burying him halfway from the chest up. Finally calming down, Alice slithered over to speak with the Human.

"Now then, you two are ballsy as hell to knowingly try to-" Alice was immediately interrupted by the imprisoned Human.

"_**Was in Sigmars Namen ist das?! Ich werde dich mutierte Hexe toten**_!" the man screamed, causing the two companions to pause.

"What the hell?" Alice said, as the man screamed and cursed at her and Luka in his strange tongue, while Luka himself grabbed Angel Halo from the ground and sat down. He then meditated, healing his wounds in front of the man, who paused in shock at the display. Instead of calming down however, the man pulled on a wooden bit in his hat, which turned out to have a metal blade in it.

_**"Chaos verehrendor Verrator**__**!**__**" **_he yelled, throwing the knife at Luka, who didn't even need to move as the man undershot by a pathetic margin, the position he was in having a limited range of movement. Alice grabbed his arms and snapped them with a loud cracking sound. The man cried out in pain, before he passed out from it. "Oops." Alice said, as she pulled him out of the hole she made with her tail and turned to grab the Elf, who she then saw running away into the forest, cutting off the head of a Worm Girl as she came out of the ground without slowing down. "Well shit." the Lamia said, as the psychopathic Monster was about to disappear into the trees. "Looks like we got our work cut for us." Luka said. When she suddenly fell over, Luka sighed. "Or not."

"Wait. Something's wrong." Alice said. "Not only do I detect something different about those two concerning their souls, that just yelled 'Chaos' at you." Alice said. "We need to take them with us. 'Chaos' is the only word I recognized from the Humans' hideous gibbering."


	2. Chapter 2

**Vermin Tide Quest**

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Chapter 2

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Markus was falling through the portal the blasted Grey Seer made, his full-plate armor reflecting the green light, adorned with purity seals of holy scriptures and praises to Sigmar Heldenhammer glowing bright gold in color. He was still holding on to his great sword, and had the Handgun he carried throughout his military service and also used for shooting down armored Skaven units during the siege strapped to his back. Currently, the retired soldier was screaming out his lungs in horror and fear, but not from the fall. What was making him scream was the madness and visions he was being mentally assaulted by the tunnel the portal was making within the Warp. The visions of seeing his regiment die in front of him in Ostland.

He was transferred there after having an altercation with a idiot noble who was wasting good loyal Imperial State Troopers in his ambition to ascend the military echelons. While the Province was not Reikland, with its well-funded and equipped army, Ostland was one of the more competent Provinces with what it had going for it. Markus soon became famous within the Ostland military, both for his skill in leadership and combat, and his charisma and wittiness when on break with his men. He and his regiment of Greatswords were one of the elite fighting forces of the Empire, and drew honor after battle honor, victory after glorious victory in the battlefields they traveled to.

Then, with a single flick of his wrist, a Necromancer who was building up an army killed all his men. During the fight, he was holding the eastern front, his troops fighting off a mob of skeletons that were trying to push through. He saw the elderly and corrupted bastard and locked eyes with him. The old man, well on his way to meeting Mors, smiled evilly, as he cast a purple ball using the Wind of Death known as Shyish. Then the State Troopers who trained under Markus Kruber, who he had formed the strongest bonds of brotherhood, began to drop and die, their souls sucked out of their very bodies. Joel, a young lad who had just joined at that point, shoved Markus himself out of the way, saving his life at the cost of his own. The man was heartbroken with grief since then, and went with the Witch Hunter Victor Saltzpyre to escort a Bright Wizard named Sienna, who was to be taken to face the courts over the burning down of some random merchant or some such persons' home.

When the Skaven began their attack, Kruber felt some sense of closure, once more performing his duty to the Empire and Sigmar, King of the Gods of Humanity. He did form an almost kinship of a sort with Bardin, who really only got along with the State Trooper in the usual manner that was typical for his race.

Now, he was reliving the same scene, watching his men die in front of him over and over again. He no longer cared how long it was, for time was a fickle thing. Once he was spat out however, he not the same as before mentally, landing on a hard wood floor, his armor clanging and causing the entire building he was dumped on to shake. When he looked up, it was to see some bird women thing on a bed, who was clinging to her Human mate protectively. He immediately drew his Greatsword and screamed, his eyes wide with mania. He did not see a man and a Harpy, no, he saw something else entirely.

"UNDEAD FILTH!" he screamed horsely, swinging the metal blade at the shocked couple. The two rolled away, aided by the superior strength of the women creature. They looked on in shock, as the bed was cleaved in two with one strike. Markus turned again, fury in his eyes. "YOU WON'T KILL THEM AGAIN! NOT THIS TIME!"

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**POV SHIFT**

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"What the hell is going on?!" Ella asked, hearing the disturbance while she and three other Harpies came to investigate what the crashing and banging sounds were. As they were recovering from the shock of the sky turning green for whatever reason, one of their own came back screaming about a murdering Elf, and now there was a possible domestic dispute to settle. The three were about to kick the door down, when it suddenly was blown off its hinges as a man was smashed into it.

He groaned in pain, and Ella and one of the other Harpies rushed in to stop the attack, while the third took the injured man away from the fighting. What they saw made them pause. One of their own, Aceullin was fighting against a Human in a unknown armor. Several light cuts were all over her body, and the armor the Human was wearing was worse for wear. Several dents and rents could be seen on its design, which bore a cross that the Church of Illias sometimes had its crusaders wear, but with a stylized skull and hammer embossed upon it.

When Aceullin rushed in at the Human, he sidestepped her leg on reflex, the claws of which were aimed his chest, and clothesline her with a mailed gauntlet, then pointed a staff of some kind at the other two Harpies. They both stopped, and stayed their distance, backing up as the man grunted and snarled in some language they did not know.

"What are you saying?" Ella pronouncing slowly, indicating that she did not understand through her body language by tapping her ear with a wing, then shaking her head. The man paused, while Ella's teammate ran at him to take advantage of the situation. The man turned immediately with his staff weapon.

***KER-BLAM!***

The other Harpy was suddenly blown back, and screamed as her right wing was shot off. Ella, terrified and panicked by this unknown magic, flew away carrying her sister. The man then ran out onto the platform the Harpy house was on, and saw he was stuck there, as the Harpy Queen landed behind him. She managed to wrap her feathers around the man, who began to struggle against her grip. Ella watched along with the rest of the Harpy Village, as their leader would surely calm him down right?

"Hey, stop struggling!" the Harpy Queen cried out. Under normal situation, she would've just threw the man off for attacking her subjects, and let gravity do the rest. But as she confirmed what the others had said, the man was reacting, not attacking as what happened when he shot off one of soldiers' wing. She could feel the feather starting to do their work, and began to make several shushing sounds. "There, there, its- GGAAAAHHH!" The Queen shrieked, as she felt the man bite down _hard _on her breast while simultaneously grabbing and pulling off several feathers with a strength that above-average for the human male. She tried to hold him tight and overload his mind with pleasure, but that made the Human fight even harder in response by clamping his jaws down tighter and also kick and punch in anger. She finally released him, then kicked him into the house. The Queen held her breast in pain, while another Harpy soldier jumped in.

"Mi lord! Are you alright!?" She cried out in shock. The Harpy Queen nodded, sighing as she sat down. The man had finally passed out, allowing her troops to go in and place the man in a cell, where he was stripped of everything on his person, including a book they found which resembled the holy book of Illias, but with iconography that they weren't familiar with. While they would make to take care of him, the Queen also ordered for safety to not do anything else to the man, for now until they figured out what to with him.

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**POV SHIFT**

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Victor woke up with his hands tied behind his back, and found he was gagged with a cloth of some kind. When he looked around, the Witch Hunter then felt a pair of hands behind him. He was able to get enough of a look to see that it was the Wood Elf, who was looking like she got battered by a Norscan, but was at least still alive. The first thing he noted was that they were in some sort of tent, and were bound together. He turned as he heard somone walk in, moving the flap away then pausing when a purple hair youth in strange clothing stopped and looked at him.

_The witch boy! _Victor thought, as he glared at him with his one eye. The boy stopped, and called out to someone, speaking in a language he did not recognize. When he saw the Mutant from before, he started to freak out. _By Sigmar! We're caught by a bloody Pleasure Cult of Slaanesh! _The Witch Hunter thought in panic, but stopped for a second. If they were Pleasure Cultists, he and Kerillian would be in much more uncomfortable environs at the moment. Where then in the blasted Warp did that rat witch send him and the others to, and where is his hat?

The Mutant said something, which made Victor look at her in confusion. She had a faintly purple skin tone, with white hair that had some strange flower in it as well as a red design on the front. She also wore a mini-skirt that barely covered her waist, which was wear her most obvious mutation, a crimson snake tail that was mostly still outside the tent, while the her chest was covered in what looked to be a brassiere, which emphasized her feminine body. Victor also noticed her ears. A mutilated Elf then?

The Mutant snapped her fingers, and repeated herself, but Victor could not understand her, but when she said 'Chaos', that got his attention. When the boy lowered the cloth being used to silence the Witch Hunter he immediately started to shout and verbally assault the two, catching them off-guard as they jumped at his outburst.

"I'LL HAVE YOU BURNED AT THE STAKE WITCH!" he was then gagged by the Elf(?) who muttered something under her breath, and turned him and Kerillian around, as the Wood Elf woke up by Saltzpyre yelling at the top of his lungs. The Wood Elf Waywatcher looked around for a bit, and paused when she saw her two captors staring at her. She could hear muffled attempts at cursing the two, and Kerillian herself was starting to feel a little inclined to agree with the mayfly.

"What the hell?" Kerillian muttered, the Waywatcher staring on in confusion as the Elf(?) and Human both stared blankly back.

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**POV SHIFT**

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Alice stared in disbelief. This Elf clearly did not recognize that she was staring at her Lord, was willing to kill her own sisters like they had the plague, was working along this crusader of Illias, and spoke the same bothersome language that the man was speaking. And the sheer gall of the two of them!

Not only are they capable of wounding her, but the weapons that Human had hidden in his blood and gore covered trench coat was beyond ridiculous. She and Luka lost count at around 36, and then there was the crossbow that he carried, along with the rapier. Alice quickly figured out the crossbow was designed to hold multiple bolts, and could fire on a semi-automatic basis, with the cost of being slower to reload then normal ones. Then the devices, which fired lead at their target, which were faster, and harder to see coming due to being smaller.

While Luka did not get it, the implications that the servants of Illias was making such weapons was bleak to Alice. If such weapons could made and distributed to the general factions loyal to the false Goddess, the sheer damage to the Monster Races would be devastating at best, cataclysmic at worst. And yet, she felt as though there was something more to him.

First, he had religious symbols to Illias, yes, but there was an interesting thing about the way they were laid out. The cross which any other servant of the leader of Heaven is supposed to be the main focus of their design aesthetic, to show their loyalty to Illias. Yet, what cross symbols she saw were treated as though they were secondary, with a fireball with two tails, a hammer of unknown design and a stylized human skull being the main focus of this mans religious pride. As though he held some other deity in higher regard over even the one Humanity served.

Then there was the Elf. She was currently glaring at Luka and Alice with disgust, as though she was looking down upon the two. The Lamia was both amused, and off-put by the way her eyes shifted between them. It was also clear she did not care about the Human, having tried to sneak away after drinking one of those healing potions on their persons. But it seemed some of injuries weren't fully healed, as the Elf lacked the healing capabilities that all Monsters should have. Alice waved over to Luka.

"Hey, come over. I have an experiment to do."

"What is it?" the self-proclaimed Hero asked, as he walked over. Alice then stripped the two of their pants almost instantly, causing both to jump in shock. "ALICE WHAT ARE YOU-" the Monster Lord then grabbed Luka and shoved him toward the Elf, who instead of reacting with near drooling arousal, was visibly repulsed by the Human boys manhood. She then pushed up and cartwheeled over the Human tied to her, who let a muffled cry at suddenly being bent over, and found himself staring at Luka. The man looked on in confusion, then kicked the boy in the crotch, causing him to double over in pain.

Alice then stopped the man from striking his fellow Human again, pitting their clothing back on. She took mental notes of the reaction, and how the Elf was now enraged at the Lamia, snarling something in a completely different language then before.

"What the hell was that for?!" Luka yelled in anger, as Alice simply stopped him.

"It was to see what her reaction is. And given she didn't try to fuck your brains out, and the language barrier we are currently experiencing, I might have solved part of the riddle about these two. They're from another world."

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**POV SHIFT**

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As Granberia was on her way to Hellgondo and recently crossed the sea to Sentoria, she was walking along a dirt path deep in thought. The Dragon was one of the of the four Heavenly Knights, and carried a sword made of Dragonsteel, one of the world most durable metals. It was able to withstand her mastery of Fire-magic, and she also was one of the greatest, if not _the _greatest swordsmen in the world. The path she walked on had a hole, likely from a Worm Girl or some such taking a man underground.

_I wonder how Alice and the kid are doing. _She thought, thinking of her encounter with the Monster Lord Alice Fateburn the 15th in Illiasburg. She went there to get the city to stop producing Heros to Illias' genocidal cause. Luka tried and only succeeded in getting her to leave by using a Monster swordsmen technique known as the Demon Decapitation technique, which Alice taught him. After a brief conversation that boiled down to Alice saying 'bugger off back to home.' the Dragon Knight of Fire went off.

Suddenly she stopped, aware of something behind her. Multiple somethings in fact. She couldn't tell how many, but she knew they weren't Humans, they smelled differently, filther, and breathed faster too. They also weren't Monsters, as they chittered in some language that she didn't understand. She turned around, and stared in confusion at the sight of a gang of rats standing before her on two legs. The creatures stopped, fidgeting their poorly made weapons, and twitched and chattered. They also dressed only in bandages, or in the case of most, nothing at all, and inched closer to the Heavenly Knight.

"Who the hell are you?" she asked, guard stance ready. Suddenly they all charged at her, screaming at the top of their lungs. With a skill use of one of her swordsmen techniques, she slayed the entire group of rat men. When she looked over, another one appeared from the hole she ignored, wearing some kind of metal mask, as well as some sort of tough leather clothing that covered the creature head to toe. It carried a glass sphere of some kind, filled with a green smog, and carried several more on a bandolier. A heavy-looking backpack was also worn, it too hissing out the green gas inside the gas globes. Upon seeing her, the thing threw one of these at Granberia, who jumped back as the glass object broke against the ground, the smog covering the area. The Dragon Knight stared, and saw that the gas was decomposing the dead rats that were on the ground, their flesh sloughing off and the exposed bones turning brown and breaking apart as though an acid melted them. The plant life also fell apart, and a second globe appeared from the mist. Granberia dodged it, then swung around to where the thing was running from her. When she launched a basic fireball that struck the things backpack, massive explosion was heard as it screamed. When her eyes recovered by the bright light, she saw a crater where the rat man that attacked her used to be. She then heard more noises coming from underground, and decided that spreading the word about what she encountered was the best way to go.

Just as the thought came to her mind however, a loud roar was heard, and Granberia turned to see what looked to be one of the rat men. However, it was larger with the rough body proportions as a gorilla, and leaped in the air. Granberia blocked the attack, which was weak by her kinds' standards, before flourishing and cutting off an arm. The beast screamed in pain, a high-pitched squealing noise as she finished it off with a stab to its stomach. She then turned around, and smile when she saw the fear in the rat men that witnessed her fell the large one. However, she realized they were looking past her, and the Dragon Knight turned to see a wizened old rat man standing on its own. Its fur was a gray coloring, and the red eyes that were seemingly common to this race glowed with obvious magical abilities, and the magic-caster raised his staff.

_Ha! You can not be serious. _Granberia thought. While it was clearly preparing to cast a spell, nothing save the Goddess Illias herself and her Angels that rivaled the power of the Monsters in the world. And in Monster society, physical strength and magical might were often the same, and Granberia could barely sense any strength in terms of her understanding of Mana from it. When the rat men suddenly ran shrieking and jabbering in terror however, Granberia looked back in confusion. As a result, she didn't see the green bolt of lighting flying at her until it struck her in the legs, blasting them off at the knees messily in a red and gory explosion of blood. Granberia screamed in pain, dropping her sword to grab at the bloody stumps still connected to her.

_What the hell?! I did not sense any Mana, before or after that spell, and it did not have an Elemental basis either! What Magic is this?! _The Dragon Knight thought when she calmed down vision was starting to fade, and as the rat wizard slowly walked up to her, she heard it say something while grinning sadistically down at her.

"Foolish-idiot Mutant Man-Breeder-Thing. We will rule-rule all-everything. Now, die-die." it said, and prepared another spell to finish her off, when Alma-Elma flew in and tried to grabbed it with her tail, the Succubus Queen watching the fight from the air diving in to save her fellow Knight. However a barrier protected it, appearing and blocking the combined sex-organ and limb. The ground cracked, and a thundering boom was heard as the shield crackled and broke from the attack. The rat man teleported several meters before he was caught, then hissed at the interloper, who picked up Granberia by the shoulders. Alma-Elma then opened a portal of her own straight to Hellgondo, and went through as the rat wizard screamed in anger and tried to fire another bolt, only for a creature similar to a Demon to appear instead, causing a distraction for the two to escape.

The rat man gazed down at the sword that was left behind, and gazed at its design. He started to reach down for it, when another portal opened up. The creature looked up, and saw Alma-Elma had come back, with back-up in the form the Queen of Slimes and her clone bodies staring with hate towards the thing that injured her comrade.


	3. Chapter 3

**Vermin Tide Quest**

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Chapter 3

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Grey Seer Skit-Slip glared at the Man-Breeder-Things, both out of hate, and out of fear. Thankfully he did not release the musk of fear. The creatures were an oddity, able to clearly use great amounts of magic. Yet, he did not sense their magical potential, which can only mean the Man-Breeder-Thing with wings did not use the Warp when it teleported the one he defeated away from the Skaven Nest, and when it came back. So now he knew to be on guard, especially with the semi-liquid ones. As a Grey Seer, he was also the only one capable of understanding when one of these semi-liquid Man-Breeders spoke.

"What are you?" it asked. "Did the Goddess Illias create you?"

"Fool-fool. You Things are nothing to the Master-Race, yes-yes, Skaven will rule all-all." Skit-Slip chittered. He then pointed a finger at the Man-Breeder-Things. "KILL-STAB THEM IN THE NAME OF THE HORNED RAT!" He commanding in the Skaven tongue. It was best to get a sense of their capabilities and powers now, so he could have an idea of how strong the creatures of this world were. As the horde of underground rat men attacked, Skit-Slip teleported away, watching from a safe distance, to support his Skaven troops from afar of cource.

However, the Man-Breeder with Wings was not having that, and flew straight towards Skit-Slip. The Grey Seer jumped in fright at the blur of motion coming at him, and grabbed a crystal pendant of Warpstone, a chunk of the Winds of Magic from his world, solidified into a corporeal form. With it he channeled some of the magic within, and cast the spell known as Brittle Bone, which fired out as a green Skaven hand, and reached out to grab the Man-Breeder-Thing. It tried to dodge, but was caught by the arm, and the surface creature cried out as the limb suddenly began to hurt when moved. Several of the semi-liquid ones then rushed forward, their apparently acidic melting through the Skaven ranks, literally and metaphorically. The winged Man-Breeder-Thing then sent out its tail, which opened to reveal the sex chambers of a female. The Grey Seers shield took the hit, but the impact sent him flying back several meters, and Skit-Slip fell on his hunches. The Grey Seer then rolled, and then one of the semi-liquid Man-Breeder-Things came out of the ground.

"Damn it!" it yelled, then turned to Skit-Slip. "Just die!" it then struck with a slap that sent Skit-Slip shrieking and squealing into a rock. A crack formed on impact, and Skit-Slip could feel his head bleeding, nausea and pain intermingling as the Skaven tried to get up. He could also feel that the horns on his head were broken.

"NO-NO, THIS CAN-CAN'T BE! I AM THE FAVORED OF THE HORNED RAT! I WILL RULE-RULE!" Skit-Slip cried out, his injury making him finally empty his bowels. He then saw that the Skaven around him were giving treacherous looks of hunger. "I AM NOT DEAD-DEAD YET-STILL! ANY WHO CHALLENGES MEH-MEH WILL SUFFER-SCREAM TILL THEY DIE-DIE!" the Grey Seer screamed, as the Man-Breeder-Things watched in confusion, then horror as Skit-Slip fired off an aura which mutated and turned the Skaven that were about to consume him into Chaos Spawn.

One Skaven screamed as his body grew, then ripped open to reveal a squirming mass of rat parts that mewled and cried out. Another was turned to dust, with the exception of his bones which merged with another who grew tentacles from his body, and manipulated the skeleton like a puppet. There were other mutations that wracked the Skaven that did not turn, who then turned aside any thoughts of betrayal. The Man-Breeders-Thing were visibly shocked, and that was when a Warp Fire-Thrower attacked with the Clan Skryre made weapon he was named for, having just joined the fray. Before three of the semi-liquid Man-Breeder-Things could react, they were enveloped and consumed by the flames, and the others recoiled and screamed in pain as well. The winged Man-Breeder-Thing looked around in growing terror, as the Things fighting alongside it were starting to vibrate and shake in agony.

_What-what is this? _Skit-Slip thought, watching this with interest alongside his Skaven subordinates. The winged then saw the Warp Fire-Thrower turn the weapon he was carrying on her, and grin sadistically as the Warp Stone which fueled his signature weapon began to glow and drip a green fluid. It opened a portal, and got several of the semi-liquid Man-Breeders out of the fight, before going through itself, but the Fire-Thrower got in one last gout of flames, which went through the portal at the last second.

* * *

**POV SHIFT**

* * *

As Erubetie and Alma-Elma jumped through back to the Monster Lords castle, several Monsters gathered around the two Heavenly Knights. An Imp in particular ran over, while the portal was starting to close. Everyone could see that the Slime Queen was injured, both in having less bodies, and due to her showing signs of stress, meaning they likely died painfully

"What happen-" the Imp was saying, when a green burst of flame shot out and covered the tiny Monster. She then flew around the halls, as a great many Monsters ended up seeing the sight of the Imp screaming as she was burned to a glowing blue ash. Wherever said ash settled, it also left scorch marks and at one point an eye grew onto a tapestry and looked around the room.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?! SOME NEW FIRE MAGIC?!" someone screamed from the hallway, as the disturbed Monsters looked around and began to mutter. This was something they have never seen before, and the pain-filled cries of one their own caused a deep sense of fear to grip them. Whatever was out there that could fight off three Heavenly Knights, it was willing to kill, and did so with means that were beyond words for how destructive it was.

A Monster walked to the eye that formed on the tapestry, a Kitsune named Yao. She inspected the eye, which followed her movements. When she reached out with a pink paw, the diamond-shaped pupil that the eye had grew, until it was _larger _from the eye it came from, and several colors, both known and unknown to the Monster could be seen. With a pulse, all the Monsters were repelled by the hole that formed, and felt that an army of Humans was coming from the other side.

* * *

**POV SHIFT**

* * *

Bardin was dumped in some sort of port town, along with the Bright Wizard Sienna. As the two were looking about in confusion, the first thing they saw was a statue of some kind which appeared to a woman with wings. They could tell by the symbols on it, both familiar and not, that this was a deity. A local sea goddess perhaps?

"Oi, that don't look like any God I know of. She look familiar to you Bardin?" the women said, inspecting the marble work as Bardin looked around the crowd, which regarded the two with suspicion.

"No, but your fellow Umgi don't seem happy about us being here. I am more then ready to settle a grudge or two with them, if that's what they want." the Dwarf said, as he get into a combat stance with his axe and shield. As a guard of some kind approached, he said something the two didn't understand.

"Always another own to settle." Sienna muttered her breath, before pausing and looking around. "What is with the Winds of Magic? Somehow they feel wrong, weaker then they should." Again the guard repeated himself, with several others drawing their weapons. The Dwarf Ranger snorted.

"Ha, we can settle that later. Time to teach these Umgi what a warrior fights like!"

"What do you me- BARDIN NO!" the Bright Wizard screamed, as Bardin tackled the town guard and then knocked him out by smacking his face with the shield. The others watched, then charged at him in anger. With a jolly laugh, Bardin ran forwards as well, Sienna following behind to try and stop him. Humans left and right were being knocked around, the Ranger making sure not to draw blood by hitting the Humans with the back of his axe. They'll wake up most definitely concussed, but shouldn't be nothing to worry about, at least by Dwarf standards. Sienna also focused on incapacitating the guards as well. They were just doing their job, Bardin was being Bardin so there was little she could do about him. At this point, she also left the occasional coin, mostly to pay for any clothes she may or may not have burned.

"HAHAHAHA, LOOK AT ME OKRI, WITNESS ME GRIMNIR, AND SEE ME SETTLE OUR RACES GRUDGES WITH THE UUUMMMGGGIIII!" Bardin shouted in Khalizid, the Dwarf language as he kicked, punched and beat the panicking town guard senseless around him. The towns people were also running around screaming, panic and fear causing everyone to run and hide while the laughing ball of Dwarven might and power crashed through anyone unlucky enough to run into him. Sienna was tryi9ng to catch up, but the crowds were slowing her down, and the only way to stay close was to run through the literal wake Bardin was leaving behind himself.

"BY SIMGARS BALLS BARDIN, STOP!" she screamed, flinging a fire bolt that hit the ground in front of a mans foot when he tried to shoot her with an arrow. The man jumped and loosed, but thankfully the arrow missed and hit a cart, where no one was hurt. "YOUR GONNA CAUSE A WARP DAMNED RIOT IN THE STREETS! THEN PEOPLE WILL GET HURT FOR REAL!" at that, Bardin stopped, and then felt shame as the last two sentences set in.

"I have brought shame upon my Kin, my Clan, and my Karak, and made myself a fool as well. I have become a disgrace to all Dwarfs everywhere." Bardin said, now depressed and sad, as Sienna took a few breaths. "I will take the Slayers Oath, and-" Bardin was then tackled and dog piled him along with the Bright Wizard, causing the Dwarf to do a full turnabout into anger. "OI, GET YOUR HANDS OFF ME UMGI! HEY, HEY THAT'S MY AXE, NOT YOURS, MINE! GET THOSE FILTHY UMGAK HANDS OF YOURS OFF IT! THIS WILL GO ON MY BOOK!" the Dwarf Ranger screamed and ranted, while Sienna willingly gave away her Staff of Fire Bolts and flaming sword. Interestingly, the town guard reacted with surprise. The Bright Wizard concluded they were paranoid of outsiders, and were thus expecting more of a fight from her.

"Bardin, your only going to make things worse for yourself." She said, her disapproval in the Rangers behavior radiating like a cloud of disappointment. Bardin however, did not hear, instead continuing his screams as the two were taken to the local prison, with him in particular being lifted up by four or so guards that were particularly burly looking to reduce the resistance he could give, before tossing them both into a jail cell.

* * *

**POV SHIFT**

* * *

As Illias looked upon the world, one Angel walked over to her. As Goddess of Humanity, she was visibly interested in these new Humans, Elf, and Dwarf. The Elf in particular was a... curiosity, as they not only did not act like the parasitical and uber-horny Monsters that inhabit the world, but she was willing to kill her own fellow Monsters on sight. That, and she reacted with disgust when the Monster Lord tried to entice her with the prospects of a Human male.

"My Goddess, do you know what to make of these newcomers?" she asked, her pure white robes shining with Holy energy. Illias looked at her, and frowned seriously.

"No, but I am sending you and several of your sisters to keep an eye on them. I will continue watching Luka. See what the newcomers are up to, and then try and convert them to our cause if possible." Illias said, gazing upon Hellgondo. "Well now, what's this?" she said, noticing that there was a commotion in the main continent of the monsters.

She then saw that a number of Humans, dressed in similar armor to that were somehow being transported by some sort of hole in the Monster Lords Castle, and were currently running around the main courtyard screaming in the same language as well, firing their unique weapons, and using the magic that was similar to the Elements, yet not. For example, a wizard that clothed with rags for some reason was able to use a Darkness-esqe series of spells that weaponized the shadows of the Monsters that attacked him, while another stood alone against a Behemoth, one of the most powerful Monsters of all. She had a black skin and red hair, with fur made to seduce and enslave Humans into climaxing their life energy for her to consume. Several other Monster were cheering her on, while several human soldiers stood back to watch. The wizard himself was wearing white robes, and wore a golden mask that had spokes that made it look like a sun of some kind stood his ground, and held up a hand in a gesture some kind. Golden energy began to come out of the ground.

_An Earth magic perhaps? _The goddess thought. The Behemoth seemed to think so as well, and scoffed while her fellow Monsters relaxed and smirked.

"Hah! What kind of Earth magic are you making, Human? Without Gnome, no Human can rival any monster in the magical skill and atunement with the world requi-" suddenly the wizard fired out the energy projectile he was making. When it hit the Behemoth, she was turned almost instantly into a golden statue. However, it did not stop, instead turning into a wake of golden energy that flew out to the Monsters behind her.

"OH SHI-" An Elder Succubus cried out, as she and many others were caught off-guard in it and also made into statues as well, their terrified and shock expressions captured in the shining metal. The Goddess watched the ensuing battle with interest. This was a very odd development indeed, and one she finally liked for once...

_About time Alice the 1sts' creations get a taste of karma for pulling their messing with my Humans. _She thought, and Illias sat back and watched the fireworks.


	4. Chapter 4

**Vermin Tide Quest**

* * *

Chapter 4

* * *

As Alice and Luka walked down to the town of Illias-Port, the first thing they noticed was that the town looked like a china shop after a herd of bulls ran threw it. Most of the town guards were walking around with broken noses, black eyes, and a number of other more serious injuries. When they got there, the two also made sure to bring the strange Human and Elf along, who were dressed in some spare clothes that Alice got from a fellow Monster. The two did roughly figure out where Alice and Luka wanted when given them, and compiled surprisingly easily. On the unspoken condition that they carried their weapons and other clothes with them in a pair of backpacks.

The one-eyed Human was dressed in a faded red shirt and pants, with his pants having a buckle wrapped where it went under the shirt. He kept an amulet with a skull imposed on a Maltese Cross. He also wore an eye-patch over his false eye, and a pair of black gloves that were a part of his original uniform, along with the boots he was wearing. Alice was able to peek on him without the Human noticing, and noted how he wore what looked at a set of belts to carry his weapons, somehow able to move them in a way that they did not form any conspicuous bulges or bumps in his outline.

Getting the Elf to look like a Human was nearly impossible, due to her eyes being so abnormal even among Elves, but that was when she showed a talent in somehow disappearing when she wanted to. Alice of course could still sense her, but it was like seeing the shape of another creature in a dark and heavily foggy night. She was able to literally walk past the guards while they were focused on the other three. While said guards walked over, the Elf could be seen climbing up a tree, and disappeared in the canopy, and somehow merged with it in a way that the Elves of this world didn't. Alice felt some concern about it, but that was not the main focus on her mind.

"Names?" one of the guards asked as his fellow pulled out a ledger, holding a bloody tissue to his nose. The other looked like he had a headache, and also occasionally rubbed his left leg throughout the conversation.

"I'm Luka. I am a traveling Hero, here to defeat the Monster Lord so th-" the guard then interrupted the boy.

"Wait, you are a Hero?"

"He fantasizes sometimes. While it is true that he is traveling, I am just here to make sure he doesn't get into two much trouble." Alice lied smoothly, much to Lukas disappointment, let out in a sad sigh. The guard nodded, while his partner at the gate wrote down the conversation. After a brief conversation of how their journey was and such, the Guard finally turned to the third member of the party.

"And him? Something on his mind?" he inquired pointing to the man who was with the two, who just stared as though he was going to be sick. Occasionally he jerked his head towards Alice, or flicked his eyes in Lukas as well.

"Oh, we met him along the way here. He hasn't said much. He is also really weird." Alice said, half-truthful of the situation. While they did 'meet' him halfway over to Illias-Port, he spoke quite a lot. It just happens that it was mostly with the Elf, in a language nobody else speaks here, and the tones in which the two conversed made it clear that it was an argument of some sort. Alice had considered that they were a married couple of some sort, though why the Elf would choose a servant of Illias was beyond the Monster Lord. She had no idea had wrong she was about to learn she was...

Either way, the guard allowed the trio into the port town, much to the obvious chagrin of the foreign man, and to Alice's amusement.

_I wonder what you are thinking, knowing the Monster Lord is casually walking about in a Human-form? _She thought, knowing he was trying to give her away the whole time without the two noticing.

* * *

**POV SHIFT**

* * *

Victor Saltzpyre was absolutely livid at the sheer incompetence he just witnessed. How in the name of Gods both holy and unholy did these people survive in this world?! They performed only the most _basic _of security checks, while in a land where literal Mutants spawned by Chaos are walking about in the open like they own the lands of Humanity not even fifty yards outside the weak and pathetic wall of this port town. And that is not including the fact that all these men look like they need to be replaced. The Witch Hunter mentally restrained himself from just shooting the Mutant Elf witch and her consort right then and there, as he knew that the language barrier between him and the natives meant that unless he had the ability to learn the language in the span of five seconds, he would be killed as well long before the illusion the Elf Mutant made vanished.

Seriously, is this land some Daemon Princes Realm in the Warp, and he or she is fooling around with the Witch Hunter or something for their amusement? Because that was the only way to explain the blindness of these two Humans to the threat to everything and everyone they love or will love literally walking five feet in front of him! He had to deal with incompetents before, yes, but at least they almost always had some sense to when they should stop. This however, this was a flat-out inexcusable crime against Humanity, and Victor swore, he was going to strangle whoever hired these fools for guards. However, all thoughts of such things stopped, as he noticed that the town was showing signs of visible destruction. However, what caught his attention was in fact the guards who were at a smithy, examining a certain axe with the unmistakeable design to the Dwarfs.

_Oh, that explains a lot. _The Witch Hunter thought, when he felt he felt a hand on his shoulder. Victor flinched, and the Elf jumped back as he reached for the knife hidden in one of his gloves. She caught his hands, and the two stared at each other. She had the look of superiority that even that damnable Wood Elf carried, yet also a sense of... concern? He looked over to the boy, who was looking around nervously. With a sigh, he let go of the knife handle, and the three walked over to the blacksmith, who was staring in confusion at the strange design. The blacksmith revealed to the trio that it was made with an expert hand that rivaled even some of the most well-known Monster blacksmiths, the metals and wood were of an unidentified kind, including a symbol with a hourglass broken by a circle and a line in the middle. The shield was just as exotic to these people it seemed, who examined the face of a Dwarf embossed in the style of those underground craftsmen without peer. At least that is what the body language of the others said to the Witch Hunter. Victor could see the Waywatcher Kerillian was watching from up top a building, sitting low on all fours like a cat and examining the passing crowds. Victor looked over at the white marble statue of what appeared to be the local deity of the town. It was a woman with wings wearing a flowing robe of some sort. One hand rested on her breast, while the other was behind so that it could not be seen. The Daemon Prince that is tormenting him and the Wood Elf hiding in plain sight perhaps. He then walked out, and decided to look closer, albeit from a safe distance. He was able to semi-blend into the wandering crowds, walking in a circular path that allowed Victor Saltzpyre to examine the statue for any Chaos symbols. He saw none, but he could tell the Elf was keeping an eye on him from the blacksmith. Damnable witch.

When he stopped at an alley, he sat down at one of the walls that led to it. The Wood Elf then approached, hidden by the shadows as she spoke.

"Thinking we are in the Aether somewhere mayfly?" the Wood Elf asked.

"Possibly. Think the statue is another Mutant, one ascended to _their _ranks?" Saltzpyre inquired. Almost on cue, a thunderclap was heard as a lighting bolt struck the alleyway, startling the two as they were temporarily blinded and unable to hear. As his vision cleared, he saw the boy was hovering over him, seemingly asking him something. He struck a nerve of it or whatever deity it served apparently. The Wood Elf of course was no where to be seen, likely managing to hide somewhere to recover on her own.

In either case, the fact the boy hadn't killed him yet had lessened Victors paranoia about him serving Chaos, but only slightly. An open mind is like a fortress with its gate unbarred and unguarded after all, and Victor was not opening his just yet. The witch walked over, a blank look on her face as she examined the two. She looked at the crowd of people that gathered, then said something to Luka.

After helping the Witch Hunter up and convincing the blacksmith to let them take the Dwarf axe and shield, the three went over to a building, which very quickly turned out to be a prison. One of the windows was very much the center of attention, as he heard Bardin yelling and cursing at someone. He also could make out scorch marks on some carts and clothing which the wardens there were examining.

_Oh for the love of Shallya. They did not- _Victors thought were then interrupted when Sienna Fuegonasus was heard yelling in her native Estailian, then a orange light was seen from one of the windows, before the wall was blown open. The Dwarf Ranger Bardin walked out behind the clearly very annoyed Bright Wizard, who both paused as they saw Victor Saltzpyre alongside the other two people. _They did. _Victor thought, as he face palmed openly at the soldiers now gathered around the two, already knowing where this was going.

Suddenly, the boy shouted something, and everyone paused. He and Alice then showed the Dwarf Rangers' axe and shield. Bardin visibly brightened, his angry and foul temper signature of his race now clearly overjoyed at reuniting with his peoples relics. He then looked over at the boy, who was just slightly taller then him, smiling through his bush of a beard.

"Thank you young Umgi." he said, earning a confusing look from the two, while the guards were practically shaking as Sienna walked over to the group. When one of the guards tried to run up to him, the Dwarf glared menacingly, and the man paused and paled on the spot with fear. Bardin then pulled out a book he kept on his person at all times, then a pen with which he began to scribble in Khazalid, listing off some more grudges to settle with these people later.

_Some things never change. _The Witch Hunter thought, sighing in frustration. Though he felt thankful to Sigmar that he at least had something familiar besides the Wood Elf. Now to find Markus, wherever that man was. Then the town bell started ringing, and a guard came around the corner and screamed something. The civilians went into hiding, as the town guard rallied into a formation to the gate. Victor and his team followed them, alongside the two natives as he gave a recount of everything that has happened. When they came around a corner, it was to see a woman in some form of dress. What stood out was she was clearly a Harpy, but not of any kind Victor knew of. Her feathers were a bright pink and white instead of black, and she could be seen hovering for a few seconds by the crowd of Humans. After everyone got a good look at her, she flew away, and the town guard went on full alert, while the boy and Elf Mutant stared at them.

* * *

**POV SHIFT**

* * *

"Hey, you meed to eat! We're not going to hurt you!" A Harpy said, dodging a bowl as the armored man threw at her, shouting something as the broth within splattered on one of the walls.

"**Bleib weg von mir Mutant!" **he screamed, and the Harpy side stepped the mans punches. Her sister sighed, watching from a perch from above. For the past two days since he appeared, the Harpy Village was trying to get the man to calm down, as well as getting him to eat something. However, every time one of them came to try and take care of his needs, he would go into an almost frenzied state and also screamed and ranted until they left. **" Ich bin ein richtager Kaiserlicher Soldat von Sigmar, und werde das Knie nicht vor dem bosen Gott beugen, den du anbestest!" **the Harpy he was attacking however was not fighting back, only bobbing and weaving with a speed Humans can never catch.

"Can't we just rape his brains out?" the one being attacked asked, knowing she could easily overpower him.

"Just leave him be." she said.

"But he has to eat! It has been two days, and he refuses to just stop! I can just-"

"Luka told the Queen, we need to be not hurt Humans if we are to ensure a lasting peace, and right now we can only wait until he stops trying to beat the hell out of anyone who enters his cell. And the Harpy Queen has included rape as damaging as killing Humans. She has gone to get Luka and Alice, since they're the only ones who can likely get the man to calm the fuck down."

"**Sigmar verlant blut!" **The man shrieked, and he struck empty air once again. Frustrated, he tried to tackle the agile Monster, who flew over him.

"Oh come oooOOOOONNNN!" she whined. "One quick lay, and I bet you he will be compliant as a puppy... not to mention the mustache and sideburns."

"And this is why you were not supposed to be the one taking care of him." At that, the Harpy Queen walked in, and saw what was happening. After wrestling the man to the ground and pinning him with a single leg, she looked at her subject trying to undo his pants, panting heavily.

"No." she said sternly, which earned a frustrated look as her subordinate backed off. When the Harpy Queen looked back to the man, he was still angry, but this time resigned himself to just glaring at her. After she showed another bowl, she set up a table and a full change of clothes for him to wear. After the man got dressed with some privacy, he looked over to her to see she was sitting on other side of the table with her own bowl.

He approached his seat and sat down, looking at the soup that swirled within. After a growl from his stomach, he slowly began to eat, first a small amount, pausing inbetween bites as though expecting something to happen. While he watched on, the Harpy Queen engaged in conversation with her two subjects.

"I've made contact with our Lord and Luka. They'll be here shortly to take care of our guest. I also sensed that they found at four others."

"There are other Humans running around here like this one?"

"Yes. So far we have nothing to worry about though." At this a Harpy runner burst into the room. While the Monsters simply calmly looked in the direction of the interruption, the man practically jumped in fright.

"My lady, we have just receive horrifying news! The-"

"Estla, breathe." the Queen Harpy said, breathing in and out slowly until the Monster followed her. After, she gave her report. In a two sentences.

"Erubetie, the Heavenly Knight of Water has been gravely injured, along with Granberia who has also been captured by an army of Humans with an unknown composition. Not only that, the Humans in question have captured the Monster Lords Castle, and drove out even our peoples greatest warriors using strange weapons and Magic capable of devastating entire groups and teams of Monsters." with that, the Harpy Queen paled despite the stoic look on her face, looking towards the Human in question.

"Are you serious?" she asked.

"Yes."

"What? Humans don't have that level of power." One of the Harpy guards said.

"Tell that to the Behemoth and her fellow Monsters that got turned into gold statues with a flick of the wrist from whatever sorcerer led these strangers to battle against us. Even now, a group of Angels were seen flying to the castle to reward the Humans for their attack."


	5. Chapter 5

**Vermin Tide Quest**

* * *

Chapter 5

* * *

As Balthasar Gelt, Supreme Patriarch of the Empires' Colleges of Magic looked around the room of the newly conquered castle, he went over the past days before he and his men were transported to whatever Chaos-tainted land this castle was in.

When when the Horn of Magnus at Ubersreik was blown to call for reinforcements, Balthasar at the time was the closest one to respond. En route, he ran into the Skaven, and spent the next few weeks fighting his way to the besieged town. After he finally got there, he was given a general synopsis of how the Ubersreik Five managed to keep the rat men at bay, and even defeated the Grey Seer. He was out near it clearing out some remaining Skaven forces, who were guarding a crystal of Warpstone. During the fight, the green crystal of pure solidified Chaos magic suddenly glowed, and before the Gold Wizard could process mentally what was happening, he suddenly found himself here.

"He initially thought he ended up in the haunted Castle Drachenfels, only to realize he was surrounded by Mutants, along with his men and several Wizards that had taken along on the way to Ubersreik. The Chaos-corrupted creatures were strong individually, but they were overwhelmed and driven off by the superior Imperial formations, which were able to hold them at a distance where the Wizards could devastate the creatures with their spells. Something of note about the Winds was they were oddly pure of taint here, although strangely almost non-existent in the area with the exception of Shyish and Chamon, something which was puzzling for Balthasar. Currently, he made himself an improvised office in what he suspected is the room of one of the more powerful creatures.

Speaking of the Mutants, he looked over and stared a gold statue of one, his own mask reflecting the candle light on his desk. It was a half-women, half-fox creature, that had paws and around eight tails. Its face was cringed in a look of horror, and its paws raised palms forward as it was frozen with legs bent midway, giving the statue a look as though trying to capitulate. Gelt at the time ran into it when he began to sweep through the castle, and found that whoever commanded these creatures did well in evacuating it, as only a handful of them were found. He in particular ran into it trying to hide in this very room. It tried to speak something, but Balthasar Gelt cast Final Transmutation mid-sentence, the spell of course being as simple as flick of the wrist when he only has a single opponent to worry about versus when he cast it on an entire group of her comrades. He did not take the chance that the Mutant was trying to curse him, despite it posing as though in surrender at the time. A lifetime of war taught him to take no chances.

After looking back at his desk, he pulled out a journal from his robes, as well as a pen. After pausing for a moment, he began to write.

_2534 I.C. On the Month of Nachexen, Backertag_

_I have transported, along with a number of my men during a battle with Beastmen into a castle of unknown allegiance to one of the Dark Brothers, yet at the same time we have found none of the usual cultists warriors associated with them. We have only been assailed by a number of mutated Human and Elven women, and what scouts I sent ahead that have returned do so with reports of such creatures roaming the lands. So far, they have easily been driven off, but morale is low. We have no idea where we are, what supplies we have, and morale is at an all-time low despite the victory we have achieved in taking this castle._

_Without an idea of where we are, we can easily be surrounded by heretics and traitors. Even so, it is our duty to carry out Sigmars will, and in his name, we will fight and die to ensure these creatures never live to blight the world another day. I had my men prioritize looking for the castle maps and records, but these Mutants are, for lack of a better word, organized and clearly intelligent, having taken many of the logistical and tactical from what record keeping rooms we found, and what we have found is in a language that, while I can confirm is not the Chaos-script that I have occasionally seen on a Chaos Champions armor before destroying it for example, is not in a language I know of. Servants of the Raven perhaps, given they're oddly orderly and well-trained in maintaining this castle. _Gelt then heard a noise, and paused to look around the room, grabbing his sword and drawing it. A State Trooper held up his hands as he found himself facing the tip before it was drawn away from his face.

"I was sent to inform you an envoy has arrived." the man said, relaxing as Balthasar put his blade away.

"Who is it?" Gelt asked. He walked over to the Staff of Volens as the State Trooper replied, the ancient and powerful state of office of the Supreme Patriarch, the title given to whichever Magistar or Patriarch of the Colleges of Magic attained the right to become the personal adviser of the Emperor himself in all arcane matters.

"We don't know, and as far as can be inferred, they are enemies of the Mutants that attacked us. That is all we can tell about them." the man explained. "Furthermore, they are a bit... odd." Gelt turned, his golden yellow robe and orange cape flowing like a molten glimmer of the metal his Order was named after as he turned around.

"How so?" he asked.

"Well, like the Mutants, they're all women, and most of them has wings similar to a dove. Unlike them, however, they were not hostile, but they did initially try to be rather... intimate with us. And in a direct way as well." the man could not see, but he could almost feel Gelt cringe from the way he moved his head back. "Thankfully they backed off when the leader of the group took charge. Currently they are waiting inside the main throne room. Shall we meet them there?"

"No. I rather not. Who knows what enchantments the leader of the Mutants left to fell whoever tries to take it from them. Otherwise, why be so open? I'll meet them in the library. Make sure the men know whats going on, as well as to keep an eye out to make sure this is not some kind of deception of the Mutants."

"As you wish milord." the State Trooper said, then left. Gelt sat back into his seat, and finished his journal entry with a few final sentences.

_With all this being said, our fortunes have begun to turn already, for the better it seems. While we might have potential allies, politics could easily be these newcomers motivations. Even so, a possibly friendly hand is better then none._

With that, Balthasar Gelt closed the journal, then pulled out two bands of steel from a drawer. After setting the book down on them, he channeled the Wind of Chamon into them, making the bands wrap around horizontally and vertically, effectively locking the book as they also tightened and held it shut. After putting the book in the drawer and locking it with a key, Gelt walked out and headed to the library, the two Greatswords outside his room now following him.

* * *

**POV SHIFT**

* * *

As the Harpy Queen sat down and held her face in her wings, she felt level of panic. Several of her subjects were gathered around, nervously looking between her and the strange man, who was given his armor and weapons, and set onto the ground along with the Harpies. The stranger at least seemed to have finally calmed down,although he still glanced at the Monsters around him with the same kind of attitude as they had for him

"Alice is going to be pissed." the Queen thought, as she looked over at the Kitsune who gave the news. It was a four-tailed one named Mira, and she luckily was one of the more laid-back Monsters, having restrained herself from immediately killing the strange man enough for them to explain what he was doing here. After Mira heard all this, she then sighed and confirmed that the Humans which took the Monster Lord Castle were also dressed in the same kind of uniform as the man in their midst. Mira herself tried to share some tofu with him, but the man simply shuffled away after staring at her for a second. The Monsters then heard bickering sounds, and after a few seconds passed, Luka, the Hero who defeated the Harpy Queen, and Alice the Monster Lord emerged from the bushes, they immediately stopped and stared at the strange man and Kitsune.

"Oh Ancestors no..." Alice muttered as she face palmed, as more strangers appeared. When they saw them, the man in armor stood up, and gazed at the newcomers. "...there is now five of them."

"_**Was geht heir vor sich? Du wurdest auch erwinscht?" **_The armored man asked.

"_**Kruber! Wer sind diese Mutantan, und warum sind sie noch nicht tot? **_Was what he was asked in response by what seemed to the leader, a one-eyed man in a leather uniform and hat that reminded the Monsters of an Illias worshiping Inquisitor, both in design and the way the one wearing them stared at them like trash. The Monsters and Luka then watched as he and the man in armor began to argue.

"_**Gee, vielleicht, weil ich zu blutigen brei geschlagen wurde, genau wie du, ich wette, dass ich dort eine Schlangenelfen-Dame gegeben habe."**_

"Can we just stop and calm down before you start fighting again?" Luka asked timidly. The armored man, named 'Kruber' turned to him.

"_**Ich erinnere mich nicht, dich etwas gefragt zu haben!" **_he yelled. Luka shirked back, as Alice held a couple of fingers to the bridge of her nose, eyes shut as she groaned in annoyance,

"Where did you find him?" She asked, waved her other hand in the general direction of her fellow Monsters. The Harpy Queen then straightened her back, and explained how 'Kruber' arrived.

"He just randomly appeared in our village, dropped off apparently by a green portal. Not only that, but whatever was going on seemed tip him over some kind of edge. When he was dropped by the portal, he was ranting and raving. He did calm down, as you can see, but only after I called off the others in my village and detained him in one of our huts." Luka then spoke up.

"Wait, you tried to rape him?!"

"several of my Harpies tried. They all got beaten into the ground, and at one lost a wing." the Queen admitted, then rubbed her breast and made a face that one made when remembering a bad memory. The other Monsters looked nervously at the weapon 'Kruber' had along with his greatsword. "I had to step in personally, as he was much more... tenacious then the average man. And that is not all. Mira here is the bearer of bad news." the Kitsune then walked over to Alice, who was taken to the side away from Luka and the other foreigners, who were still arguing over whatever was happening.

"What is going on?" Luka asked the Harpy Queen. The Queen Monster then looked over at the five, noticing the Elf that was among their number. When she turned back and saw them, she simply shrugged, then ignored the Monsters around her. The Harpy then looked back to Luka.

"Mira had come from the Kitsune Village in Hellgondo, and has gave me news concerning the Monster Lords Castle. An army of Humans like the strangers you brought here had been transported into the very castle itself, and attacked the Monsters there." Lukas went wide. He turned and saw Alice, while still calm outwardly, was very much angry and livid at this point.

"Really? How bad was it?" Luka asked, concern on his features.

"From what has been discerned, the Humans managed to win. Their main advantage was fighting in coordinated formations similar to the shield walls that Sentorian swordsmen formed, but with spears and halberds instead. These blocks of soldiers also had any Monster that attacked them back, while lines of Human soldiers used weapons like Krubers to kill the Monsters. Not only that, but an unconfirmed number if wizards could be counted among their number, and each one was strong enough to devastate entire groups of Monsters."

"Eh?!" Luka was surprised. It was well-known that in this world, the only advantage Humans had over Monsters was numbers, as Monsters often struggled to get pregnant. "How so?"

"It is believed that the magic these Humans use is different from ours. For example the suspected leader of the army that attacked the Monster capital was able to turn those who attacked him into statues of gold. Another one of the Human wizards was also using some sort of anti-Necromancy magic, as any Undead that he attacked fell dead as their souls were released from unlife. And I can assure you, with things going as they are now, anti-Human sentiment will start to grow, especially since Illias sent some of her Angels to meet with them." Luka then shuffled nervously. Goddess Illias was known to hate Monsters, so the implications of her meeting with a group of Humans who attacked the Monsters is going to be serious no matter what.

Then suddenly, a womans voice was heard, before it was followed by a roar. The strangers were the most visibly responsive, drawing their various weapons.

"_**THAGORAKI!" **_the Dwarf yelled, as the woman who the apparent scream belonged to was suddenly revealed to be a Human from Happiness Village, the Human settlement that the Harpies had clashed with when they stole the men from the village, as they needed husbands to ensure they lived on. Specifically she was thrown in the clearing, and was dead long before she hit the ground, covered in blood and claw marks, and chunks of the Human woman's' body were missing. Then, a rat like creature the size of a bull came out of the brush, slapping a Harpy Villager before turning and roaring once more at the group.

"_**Saubere diese Ratten Orge! Sigmar will es!" **_the man in the leather coat and hat yelled, throwing a small object after light a cord on one part and throwing it. The beast jumped towards the black object, which then exploded as it caught the device in its mouth, blowing up the creature. As the Monsters, their Lord, and Luka watched, the strangers then ran forwards, the Elf leading the way to Happiness Village.

"Wait, if she from the Village... by Illias no." Luka muttered grimly, before running ahead to follow them. The Harpy Queen then turned to her own villagers, who watched from their tree houses above.

"Rally the militia at once! Our neighbors are under attack!" The Queen yelled, and immediately the rest of the Harpy Village prepared for battle.

* * *

**POV SHIFT**

* * *

As Balthasar Gelt walked into the library, he looked over the different books that were all over the room. They no doubt carried forbidden knowledge, but the fact there were so many at gave some clues to the tech level of the people here. With the printing press being invented, the book became a semi-affordable good in the economy of the Empire, having been exorbitantly more expensive due to how long it took to make one. The printing press simplified the work, and thus they became more common. As Gelt looked over one, he decided to risk opening it after sensing no magic in its pages. As he examined the layout of the room in relation to the castle, he also deducted that it was the personal library the owners of the castle, and thus whatever contents the book had would give him insight into the inner workings of their mind. When he saw a drawing of some kind of food item, and the way the letters were arranged, he deducted it was a cookbook of some kind. When he opened another one, he saw it too was a cookbook. Much to his confusion, since it was in a different part of the library. A few minutes later of skimming through a random selection of books he had just one question in his mind.

_Who the hell needs so many cookbooks and tourist guides? _He was then brought out of his stupor of thought as a knocking sound was heard from the door. After putting the book away and picking up the staff of his office, he then gave the person on the other side permission to enter, and was met by the envoy.

She was another Mutant, but this time her only giveaway was wings that could sometimes be seen on some deities that local villages worshiped that were similar to the Lady of the Lake in Bretonnia. She also carried a rapier, along with a white helmet from which flowed glowing grey locks of shoulder length hair. In a way, Gelt could say she was beautiful, but kept himself restrained, as she clearly had battle experience from her stance.

* * *

**POV SHIFT**

* * *

As Promeria walked into the room, the Valkyrie was immediately able to discern that the golden-masked man went through the books in the library. She and several Cupids were sent to evaluate the Humans by Illias. When she questioned why the Goddess specifically said to only bring the Cupids, Illias explained that she was able to roughly work out that it was likely these newcomers would attack if any of the... other kinds of Angels were sent instead. Promeria also gave the Cupids orders to not follow through any attempts to 'play' with the Humans if they responded negatively to any 'temptations' the Angels gave them. This of course got a number of grumblings and muttering from her subordinates, but so far it had payed off when the strangers became agitated at first seeing them. When she looked at their leaders staff, she noticed right away it was enchanted, and with powerful magics as well.

The staff was about the mans height, with the top having a snake tail leading up to the body and head of a lion that held a key. What made it interesting was that the staff seemed to channel the energies that the man used in the fight to cast his spells. Promeria then stared at the man in the eyes. After a few seconds, the wizard looked at the soldier that escorted Promeria into the library, who then walked out and left.

After a tense moment passed, Promeria opened her mouth, and spoke in the language of the Humans. She had the knowledge given to her by Promestein, who had translated the words the Humans were speaking with assistance from Black Alice and Illias.

"I am Promeria, messenger of the Goddess Illias, and Valkyrie of the Ninth Order." his eyes widen slightly from behind the mask. After he recomposed himself, the man responded.

"I am Balthasar Gelt, Supreme Patriarch of the Imperial Colleges of Magic, adviser of Karl Franz, chosen Emperor of the Empire of Mankind by Sigmar the God-King himself." While Promeria was very much surprised by this, she kept herself from not giving it away. She also saw how Gelt practically scanned her. This is may very well turn out to be... interesting.

"You say you are part of an Empire? I have never heard of this 'Empire of Mankind.' before."

"And I have never heard of your Goddess either. Now then, I supposed the other Mutants from earlier are an enemy of yours?" Gelt replied. The Valkyrie was visibly confused by this.

"Mutants?" She asked.

"Humans, Elves, or other creatures altered by exposure or misuse of magic." Balthasar explained.

_It appears this Human thinks that Monster, Angels, and Humans are one and the same... _Promeria realized, her shock at being compared to the creatures that lived on the surface etched on her face. This was going to take awhile. As Promeria explained the difference between Angels, Monsters, and Humans, Gelt sat impassively at his desk. His body betrayed no emotion, neither did his eyes, which simply stared at her behind the holes of the golden mask he wore. He did however seem to give off slight hints of anger when she mentioned Human men are often killed by Monsters who would feed on their semen, and how this had resulted in both of the surface races having hostile relations. The Valkyrie also showed the Supreme Patriarch a map of the world, which he did react with a slight loss of composure upon realizing he was in the heart of Monster territory itself, Hellgondo.

"So, these Monsters feed on Human men by raping them, often until the shock overwhelms their bodies? And Illias is the one who created you, the other Angels, and the Humans in this world?" Balthasar asked.

"In summary, yes." Promeria said. "We did fight the Monsters once, but due to the damage the war between Angels and Monsters on the world, we have had no choice but to let the Monsters run free to do as they will. We do try to aide Humanity, but we are only able to do so in a limited capacity. You are the only Humans ever in a long time to have defeated the Monsters in an actual battle. They will no doubt be preparing for battle, and right now, I and my sister Angels are the only ones capable of assisting you." The Valkyrie explained. Balthasar looked down at the map, then out a window in the library, where a wooded forest was about.

"This is true it seems. However, there is something I find off." the man said, looking back at the Valkyrie. "You said 'sister Angels.' Are you saying the Angel race is also an all female race?" Balthasar asked with a suspicious look. Promeria quickly saw what Gelt meant by the question. Deciding to just tell the truth for this topic, she nodded.

"Yes, and yes we also need Human men to reproduce. I understand if that is something that pushes the wrong buttons, and makes you consider declining." she said, intending her words to put him at ease. However, Balthasar stared with an even more paranoid glance.

"So Illias was able to make Humans with both male and female genders, yet she somehow was unable to create male Angels and Monsters? Not only that, but her rebellious creations, the Monsters, were able to fight the Angels to a stand still, and are thus free to hunt Humans as they please without this Goddess to punish them? Forgive me if this is something that offends you, but that does not sound like she can help me, or the men under my command." Balthasar Gelt said bluntly. A tremor was soon felt after wards, as the sky suddenly darkened around the Monster Lords Castle. Balthasar however did not even show a hint of fear, as Promeria shuffled in place nervously. He then looked up at Promeria, and gave his reply. "I have made my decision, and that is to refuse your help... now, get out."


	6. Chapter 6

**Vermin Tide Quest**

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Chapter 6

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As Luka ran through the forest after the strangers, a Slug Girl got in his way. Luka then stopped, recognizing this particular Monster as the second one to attack him when he left his home in Illias Village.

"Hey! I'm going to get you for throwing salt at me you bastard!" she screamed.

"I'm sorry, but I can not talk with you right now, there a group of Humans that I need to stop. They might end up-" before Luka could finish his sentence, the Slug Girl tensed her body, and somehow _leaped _at him by using her entire lower half like a springboard, screaming in rage. Luka dodged it by rolling away, slashing the Slug Girl on accident with Angel Halo.

"Gaah! That sword! Where did you get it?!" the Monster yelled. "IT HURTS!"

"I'm sorry, but I need to go and stop some Humans from-"

"What can mere Humans do?! Your kind is nothing!" the Slug Girl yelled, before throwing a glob of mucus at him.

_She won't listen to me! _Luka thought in shock, dodging the slimy balls the Monster was throwing at him. After having enough, Luka then finally punched the creature when she leapt at him again, stunning her when the blow struck her in the face to allow him to flail wildly at her.

When he finished her off, the Slug Girl started to vanish.

"Huurrts..." when Luka saw the slug that had taken her place, he lifted her off from the road and set her on a plant nearby.

"I'm sorry, but you didn't listen to me when I said to stop." the slug simply swiveled an eyestalk, as though glaring at the Human who defeated it. As Luka ran away, Alice slithered by. The slug visibly recoiled in fear, seeing that the Monster Lord was angry about something. However, she didn't say anything to it, and continued onwards like nothing happened.

When Luka got to Happiness Villag, he stopped and stared in shock. Rat man like creatures were running all over the fields and buildings, chasing and killing Human villagers and even fighting the Harpies, who flew ahead of him. Both sides were taking heavy losses, and corpses of the creatures were strewn about among the dead. He then saw the man referred by his companions as Kruber swinging his greatsword at a group of them, and he was practically a storm that made Humans, Monsters, and the rat men around the area look on in awe as he slew dozens of the creatures were sliced into pieces, limbs and heads flying. The other four strangers were also near Kruber, similar acts of pure violence and power as they shot, sliced, chopped and burned rat men everywhere around them.

However, what made the others watching pause was how they also communicated with each other. For example, the Dwarf man yelled out something and pointed at a heavily armored ratman, which the man in the leather coat promptly shot in the shoulder with one of his devices. It did back up as it held a hand at the wound that appeared on its body, but did not drop the halberd in its other hand. Rather it ran forward, screaming in a high-pitched chittering as it charged at him. The man fired several more times, pulling out another one of the weapons each time, and then the rat man fell dead. The Elf was wielding two swords and was a blur of motion as she ran through the ranks of rat men, who fell in pieces wherever she went. When one of the creatures got a hit on the Elf with a club, she fell backwards, and the rat man struck in the head.

Luka ran forwards and pointed a finger at her after getting a Harpies attention. The bird woman Monster shot forwards, tackling the rat man before it got another hit in. As Luka ran to aide the Elf, he saw her head was bleeding, crimson blood running down her silvery hair. But the Elf simply looked at him with a look that sent chills down his spine. It reminded him of when a man in his village was executed for committing a number of murders, yet did not regret a single thing. She even smiled before tackling a rat man running towards, which Luka could tell was shocked and scared from the way its red beady eyes widen along with its mouth. Picking up one of her swords, the Elf proceeded to disembowel the squealing creature, laughing as she then began to beat to it to death in front of the horrified Human. The Harpy that saved her saw this as well, and was stunned by the sight.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU?!" she screamed, drawing the psychopathic Elfs' attention. It responded by nocking an arrow and loosing it in the direction of her savior. However, the arrow flew past and struck another one of the creatures, this one wearing a black scarf, cape, and hood combo with two green claws, who fell dead with a shriek. The Elf then turned around, and ran forwards laughing with a malevolent glee as she began to slaughter more of the rat men. Luka looked on in horror with the Harpy soldier.

When they heard someone approaching, they turned to see the man in the leather uniform was watching as well. He didn't even seem disturbed at all, and looked on as though waiting for something to happen. He then turned, and gestured for them to follow him. A war horn sounded within the village, and the man cried out something. Kruber and the Dwarf man then began shouting, pointing for the Humans and Harpies to gather around them. After a few seconds passed, a horde of the rat men was seen running out of the local church, which had been desecrated from the creatures who were looting the various valuables inside, and from the people who were butchered within. The war cry that resounded echoed in Lukas head, as he readied Angel Halo, and then the two groups clashed, and this time the rat men were pushed back almost instantly, as the Harpies flew up and slammed forwards into their ranks, scattering them with a deceptively strong charge despite how petite most of them looked.

However, Kruber looked over at something in the distance, before crying out something as his eyes widened in fear. When Luka looked, he saw that one of the creature carried a device on its back, and threw a glass ball of some kind. As Kruber and the strangers started to back up including the still maniacal Elf, Luka realized what was happening.

"INCOMING!" he shouted, to which the village militia and Harpies broke from the fight. However, when it hit the ground and burst, the gas contained in the glass ball still caught a few stragglers, who fell down choking as they and the rat men who also were caught in the cloud started to gag from the poison inside it, as well as feeling painful and bloody rashes form on their skin in their final moments. Those who watched this were shocked, as the creature didn't even seem to care about its own companions, and threw another globe, prompting them to run away again. This time the rat man was visibly angry as none of the defenders were caught in the poison this time.

_By Illias, these things don't care about each other! _Luka thought in shocked fear. The creature turned its masked head and snarled, before Kruber stepped forwards, then pulled out his ranged weapon and shot in it the head, which practically exploded. The body of the creature stood and swayed for a second, before falling over. When a loud roar was heard, and another rat monster like the one that appeared back in the Harpy Village appeared, the strangers ran forwards to meet it, while Luka, the Harpies and militia engaged in battle with another wave of rat men.

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**POV SHIFT**

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As Balthasar watched the Angel look on in shock at the man, she took several seconds to recover. When she did so enough to speak again, she had a visibly angered look on her face.

"Excuse me? I didn't quite hear that. Did you, a mere Human just tell me, one of the Angel race to leave like I'm some commoner?" she said, moving her hand towards her sword. "I would advise you to choose your next word carefully. If you kneel down and beg for mercy, my sisters and I might even take you and your men to Heaven itself with my body." Gelt simply chuckled hollowly at that, making Promeria raise an eyebrow in confusion.

"Yes, I did, and as it so happens, _Valkyrie Promeria, _you are not only the living being I had to deal with that looked down on Humanity." The Supreme Patriarch said, standing up and walking up to the Angel. "In my world, I regularly had to deal with Elves who think themselves the greatest gift to the world, who often messes my kind and the Dwarfs who we call allies often had to clean up. I have fought Vampires who raised legions upon legions of Undead, and Daemons uncountable, as well as the insane and manic cultists who summoned them. I have slayed entire armies of things and beasts that made lesser men claw out their own eyes just at the mere sight of them, with but a single flick of my wrist, and you think you can scare me?" Gelt asked, glaring into the creatures crystal blue eyes. She tightened her grip on her sword, but the way her skin paled at the way Balthasar looked at her was more then telling of her thoughts right now. He then flicked the Staff of Volens at her, and the Angel blocked the blast of Chamon he sent at her. After a few seconds passed, both Promeria's sword and armor rusted, then fell apart, leaving the Angel in naught but a white robe, flakes of rusting metal sitcking both to it and the Angels silvery wings and hair. "Consider that a warning. Now, you know where the door is." with that, Balthasar Gelt turned around, only to turn back when Promeria started to walk up to him, then grabbed the Supreme Patriarch by the collar of his cape.

"If you think you can-" before she could finish her sentence, Gelts shoved her back, causing the Angel to making a satisfying yelp as she fell over. She then looked at the Gold Wizard in surprise. "H-how did you touch me?" she asked, visibly freaked out. As Gelt watched her stare at him in fear, he only looked on in confusion. "Y-y-you shouldn't even be able to p-poke me without permission... whuh, what the hell are you?" she muttered, before running out the room.

_Huh, seems it is surprising then I estimated it would be for her to be pushed back by a 'lowly human...' _Gelt thought, before walking out to go and see if he can find a laboratory. The Handgunners are going to need a lot of gunpowder after all, and he also had the luck of several of the blacksmiths and engineers being transported along as well. That, and find whatever metal ore there is under the castle that is drawing the Wind of Chamon so strongly into this world...

* * *

**POV SHIFT**

* * *

As Luka clashed with one of the rat men, he managed to exploit and strike an opening in the creatures chest, and its form began to dissipate. What was left was a rat, not surprising. However, instead of running away, the rat began to run at him, forcing Luka to kick it away.

"SORRY!" he yelled, as another one came running at him with three others behind it. He took a guard stance, then struck the entire group with Demon Decapitation, sealing all four at once. This time they scattered. Luka sighed as the final sounds of fighting throughout the area died down. He then looked around the carnage and destruction wrought by the rat men, and at the corpses that were defiled by the creatures eating them. In the background, one can the bangs of the man that he and Alice figured out was named 'Victor Saltzpyre' shooting and killing any rat men left behind by the now fleeing attackers.

_Why? _Luka thought, as he felt despair. Happiness Village and its neighbors the Harpy Village was his first time in getting Monsters and Humans to cooperate for the first time, and now his work was destroyed in front of him. When he felt a hand on his shoulder, he turned to see Kruber and the Dwarf, who he noted responded to the name of 'Bardin.' The Dwarf was the one who set his hand on his shoulder while Kruber scanned the area almost robotically with his head. Even though he didn't say anything, Luka understood what Bardin was saying with his eyes, visibly saddened and angry at seeing the dead Humans around him. After a moment of silence, the Dwarf nodded his head, and the two strangers walked away, helping a old man that was still alive somehow to his feet. As Luka looked on, Alice slithered over.

"You alright?" she asked in an emotionless, Luka turned to her. She did seem surprised, as he suddenly grabbed onto her. Kruber and Bardin looked at the two, then looked away when Alice noticed them watching. Unsure on what to do, she just set a hand on the his head, a Luka let out his emotions. She herself began to feel some emotional pain as well, and also noted how the strangers not only recognized these... beasts, but seemed used to the death and destruction around them. She herself was used to Humans dieing around her, the product of overzealous Monsters, but the violence that was unleashed here was on a scale only seen in Remina being destroyed, and that was five centuries ago.

_What kind of hell did these people come from, that this is just another day to them? _Alice thought, as the strangers walk away around a street corner. _I need to get to the Castle as quickly as possible. If the Humans that captured it for their own use come from the same world, there is no way my subject Monsters there are going to be prepared mentally for what's on our doorstep..._

* * *

**POV SHIFT**

* * *

Lazarus, co-founder and leader of the anti-Monster group known as Illias Kreuz stared at a Garuda Girl egg, contempt and hate in his eyes as the Human examined it. The man was one of the four Heros responsible for the death of the previous Monster lord, and also for causing the deaths of many a Monster and Humans that held sympathy for them. However, he once considered helping them find peace, as at the time of when they killed the previous Lord, they learned she was trying to attain world peace. However, he and Marcellus, the other Hero who was was him when he founded Illias Kreuz were shortly attacked by her daughter, who killed the other two Heros, a wizard named Merlin, and a woman named Karen. Due to how powerless they were rendered during the 'fight' the men snapped, and founded the organization.

While Lazarus was still a firm believer in the organization, Marcellus left some time later, having been disillusioned at the idea of killing. Lazarus frowned, feeling guilt as he struck his friend out of anger, killing him without meaning to. Currently, he and his underground network were investigating the sudden disappearance of a number of Humans and Monsters, which happened after the day the sky turned green. Ever since then, Sentora had been riddled with rumors of rat men Monsters attacking villages throughout the continent. The descriptions of slaughter and death of many at the hands of these beasts had caused a recent surge in Human men and women joining the organization.

_These infernal beasts. And to think I and Marcellus actually wanted to exist alongside such murderous and barbaric creatures! _the man thought while thinking of how to destory the Garuda Girl Egg, when he heard someone clear their throat. When Lazarus turned around and saw his second-in-command, a man named Lupton had entered.

"Mi lord, you have a guest. Two of them, and you may find them interested in aiding us..." Lupton. When Lazarus nodded, Lupton let in two men. One was some kind of priest in battle plate and yellow-black robes with a clearly holy book at his side, as well as two hammers. However, the book had a twin-tailed fireball of some kind, along with a different version of cross the servants of Illias carried as their symbol of loyalty to her. On his his breast plate, the same twin-tailed fireball was etched on it, along with a silver hammer and parchment strips with writings of some kind held to the metal with wax. Lazarus stared at the second man, who wore a similar garb, but with an Inquisitor like design to his uniform.

"Who are you?" Lazarus asked, and then the priest spoke up in response.

"I... am Ulboro, a Warrior Priest of Sigmar from the Order of the Silver Hammer." the man said, and then gestured to his companion with an arm, who simply nodded his head. "And this the Templar Witch Hunter Ulriek von Gondor, also of the Order of the Silver Hammer."


	7. Chapter 7

**Vermin Tide Quest**

* * *

Chapter 7

* * *

As Alice and Luka were doing repair work on a house that got destroyed by one of the 'Ratten Orge' as Victor called them, the Lamia Lord of Monsters couldn't help but sneak a glimpse at his face. Ever since the attack, he had a look of utter devastation, and Alice herself felt... sad? Embittered? When she first met him, he talked about uniting the Humans and Monsters into a lasting peace by being a Hero who never kills. She found the idea ridiculous at first, and badmouthed him multiple times for it and for his general dim-witlessness. Now, she was starting to feel regret for saying things the way she did.

A clanging sound could be heard from the smithy, as Victor and Bardin turned out to having some skill working a forge. The previous town black smith had disappeared, presumably dragged away by the rat men, and when asked about them, the strangers referred to them as Skaven (Thagoraki in Bardins case) having had dealing with the beastly creatures before. Victor was talked into helping do repair work on some of the weapons and armor of the town militia by Bardin, although he clearly did so reluctantly, and could be heard muttering some thing under his breath when he agreed.

Alice looked over in their direction, and saw Mira was walking up to the two, crawling in the tall grass with the instincts her fox side gave her. Victor turned in her direction, making her pause. Giving an unamused look, Victor showed one of his ranged weapons just enough for the Kitsune to see the handle, then stuck it back into his coat before going back to work hammering a sword into place. Mira as a result stood up, getting the message, but this time she sat down on the stone and watched him and the Dwarf work. Communicating telepathically, she communed with Alice.

_The way these strangers do smithing is odd milord. _She commented. Alice went back to work in meantime while she gave her answer, lifting up an entire roof frame and the stones attached to it so Luka could get some detritus and rubble out from under it. The Elf who saw this stared wide-eyed, as well as Kruber and Fire Mage, the three having come back from patrol with Tom and Samuel and taking a break. Kruber never seemed to tire from wearing that suit of armor of his.

_What about it?_

_Well, they do all the normal stuff one does when repairing a metal object, and then add other steps to the process. For example, when he fixed a broken sword earlier, Victor heated it just enough to fuse the pieces together, hammered the pieces into one, then quenched it in water, the usual stuff you do. Now, here is where he did something weird: he put the sword back into the flames of the forge, watched it closely, then quenched it again after a certain point. _Alice paused at this, taking a few seconds to process the mental imagine of what Mira described.

_Isn't that redundant? You only need to quench metal once._

_I thought so too, until he bent it in both arms. I then thought he was messing it up on purpose to flex his muscles with local women, until he let go of the swords' blade, which sprung back into place. After it did that, he seemed satisfied with it, and moved on. The Dwarf man is also doing a similar thing with what he is working on. Not only are they repairing the equipment of this Human villages militia, they're improving on the quality of their arms and armor. It would explain some what how Krubers armor took several hits to break when he first appeared in Harpy Village that these people know a lot more about metallurgy and forging then we do. _Alice listened intently, a sense of fear. Hellgondo has an army of these Humans, and with the Monster Lords Castle being designed to be almost completely self-sufficient, with blacksmith forges, it is likely the Humans will be able to repair any equipment with the any left over supplies that can be spared. Even more worry some is that the continent Monsters reside in is bordered with mountains all over, meaning that without air flight or teleportation abilities, any Monster there is effectively trapped there.

"Alice, are you alright?" the Monster Lord looked at Luka, who noticed the look on her face. She took on her normal stoic face.

"I'm fine. The roof is just a bit heavier then I expected." she lied, still not sure what she felt towards the boy.

"Ok." Luka then resumed clearing out the rubble. Alice then looked on distantly, where Victor had just quenched a helmet in water. When he pulled it out from the steaming liquid, the Human, much like Mira described, then set it back in the forge and stared at the glowing flames, waiting for whatever it is he wanted the armor to do...

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**POV SHIFT**

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Illias was insipid and raging internally. That Human Balthasar Gelt actually had the gall to command one of the Angels, and with Illias threatening him on the spot too! She was preparing to strike him down on the spot and unleash her creations on the Humans, but when Gelt showed the ability to actually touch an Angel when he shouldn't have the capacity to, she immediately had Promeria and the Cupids with her fall back. In this world, Angels cannot be touched by surface worlders unless certain conditions were met. So if Gelt can do it, they must first find how he accomplished it. Currently, her counsel was discussing theories on the subject.

"Perhaps he is secretly some unknown third party behind scenes, and brought these men here." Eden, a multi-winged Angel who wore no said. "It makes sense given the amount of power he seems to wield.

"No." Promestein, the foremost scientist of the Angels said. She wore a white lab coat, with black clothing underneath it and a shock of back length red hair. "That would also mean the other Wizards are similar, but now that I am starting to get of sensing them, they are still clearly Human, and he is not powerful enough to have done that anyway. However, I noted something about their Magic." She said. "Their souls are... fluctuating and changing constantly for lack of better words to put it." As several others, including Black Alice, the Monster Lord in the days of Heinrich the Angel Butcherer, stared in silence, Black Alice spoke up.

"Bull. Souls don't work like that." she said. The Monster held a teddy bear, and wore a blue and white dress one typically associates with little girls. One might even believe it too, if she was actually the size of one.

"Have a look at Gelt and his soul then." Promestein said. Black Alice's face went blank as she did so, and after a few seconds had passed, the former Monster Lord visibly looked confused. "See what I mean?"

"Yeah, the hell is all that power coming from? Its like he is some sort of conduit for mana, but not the kind from our world." Black Alice asked.

"Likely from whatever world they come from, as every single one of the Humans, and the Elf and Dwarf that have appeared, along with the rat men all have souls like Balthasar Gelt, but in different levels of fluctuations and patterns. For example, the Wizard that appears to utilize Darkness-based spells grows more power when he is in low-light conditions, or when it is night out. For spells the are based on Darkness, that is not surprising. What is surprising however, is that he never fully weakens to becoming useless unless he is covered in light from all directions." Promestein explained. "However, the Wizard I find the most interest in is the one who appears to be some form of anti-Necromancy spell caster." the Human that she was referring to was one that Promestein identified based on the language of the new Human invaders in Hellgondo as an 'Amethyst' Wizard. The Angels who observed him back when they went with Promeria noted that he ignored them and his fellow Humans, occupying himself instead with burying and performing some form of funeral rites upon the dead that were around, both Human and Monster.

When one of the Cupids asked why he was burying the Monsters as well as the dead of his fellow Humans and giving them the same funeral rites, a soldier explained that it was so their God of the Dead, named Morr, will ensure Necromancy will not bring them back to life, and that he was also a Priest of Morr. And at first, this was regarded as mere stupidity, but it was noted that something could be sensed collecting the souls of both sides by Illias, but she couldn't make contact with it. After the Amethyst Wizard was done with the bodies from the battle, he tried to enter the Tomb of the Monster Lords, also housed the Seal of the Six Ancestors. After stopping and examining the Tomb upon sensing the latent energies at the entrance, he instead turned around and walked back into the castle, stating there was already a protective measure in place for those buried within. The general theory was that he confused the Six Ancestor Seal with something similar to his own rites, and ignored it as a result.

"Strange things these Humans. They may hate the Monsters, but they will also let their funeral rites protect their souls. Why would they do that?" Black Alice asked. She was visibly surprised, having heard this for the first time.

"Apparently they believe that Necromancy is one of the most evil sins ever, and that it is a product of something much worse that will befall the world if not done for their enemies as well as themselves, I haven't got the full details, since they only mentioned it a few times." Promestein replied.

"Well, I suppose the only way to find out is get into his dreams when next he sleeps." Illias said, keeping a veneer of calmness to her words, then went blank. Then she chuckled, as she motioned to show them something. "Speaking of these Human, Alma-Elma is currently visiting them."

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**POV SHIFT**

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Leopold Holtmark was attending to his clothing, a black undecorated robe with a hood that when pulled up obscured his face. The wandering Priest of Morr of the Order of the Shroud had attached himself, along with Arnold Shireson, a Knight of the Black Guard. The two knew there was going to many a dead man and woman to attend to in Ubersreik, and thus they went along with Balthasar Gelt to perform the rites to ensure that the souls of the dead entered the Realm of Morr. When they were transported to this castle, the two held and maintain the left flank, where a Vampire and her Undead servants were seen, notably all women. However, when Arnold slew her, the blighted and tortured souls were not freed, prompting Leopold to cast his magic to slay them. The Mutants who saw the effect he had on the battle, along with Gelt and Heram, the Grey Wizard that Gelt brought along with him, they became demoralized and fled. Shireson himself was currently off-duty, so he could speak and thus converse with Leopold while doing inspecting his own armor, a set of heavy battle plate that was painted an obsidian black, and padded to allow the Knight to move silently in reverence to the dead even when he was wearing it.

"So, how is the tomb we found?" Leopold asked, currently sewing a cut that was made when a swordswomen with scales similar to the prisoner got close enough to take a swing at him. She left a very nasty gash on his chest where she cut the Priest and his robe, but by a miracle of Sigmar, he somehow only walked away with just that, as a flash of light was seen when she struck him. While the astonished Mutant was confused and focused on the knocked down and wheezing man at her feet, Arnold impaled her in the back with his halberd, and then finished her off with a swift decapitation after pulling it out. Since then two spent the next few hours rounding up and burying the dead Mutants, much to the complaints of the State Troopers that believed that they should just be discarded somewhere. Balthasar Gelt silenced them, pointing out it would mean feeding the Ruinous Powers their souls. With that out the way, Leopold and Arnold were taking a break. It would do no good if one or both of them pass out performing their duties.

"I did a patrol as was expected of me, and no major problems were found." The Knight said, taking a brush and scraping some mud off of one of the sabatons, the part of his armor that covers the foot. Leopold didn't go into it yet, being preoccupied with the recent dead, as well as sensing there was a magic seal on the place, thus deciding there was no pressing need to take care of them."It does need some maintenance, mostly dusting and some new coffins. The remains are likely Mutants though, so these people have been tainted for awhile yet, spanning generations, while also not corrupting the land." Suddenly a State Trooper burst into the room. As the alarm also went off, he explained what was going on.

"One of the Mutant leaders. She just broke into the castle." he huffed. "She took out Heram, and Gelt moving to engage her in battle. A Vampire was also spotted, but she fled the scene before raising any corpses." With that, Arnold and Leopold looked at each other. One of the commandments of Morr is hunt and eliminate the Undead and those who raised them, wherever they may be. The Priest of Morr then turned to the State Trooper.

"Help Arnold here with his armor. I'll go ahead and stall the Mutant to buy Gelt and rest of the army time to fortify." Leopold said, donning the robe, the skulls and bones that were a part of his attire clacking from the wide movements he made. Then he grabbed his scythe, which had a mirror shine from being recently cleaned of blood, before rushing out the door, leaving the other two men. It did not take long, as the room they were in was next to the closet mess hall from the castle entrance.

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**POV SHIFT**

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As Alma Elma looked around the courtyard, she saw the Humans had scattered upon seeing her power as the Heavenly Knight of the Wind, as they should. Smiling and posing seductively at a group of them which formed a shield wall, she chuckled lightly. She noted the large number of mounds throughout

"Fufufu... well boys, you do realize you vandalized our Lord Alice Fateburn the 16ths' property right?" she said. The men responded by moving their spears closer at her. She then in a blink of an eye dashed around them and struck the flank of the formation, knocking the Humans around like rag dolls. She then picked one up,and her tail opened up, showing off the prehensile limb made for drawing life energy and sexual fluids alike from them. "I guess I'll have to punish you all with my tail. You can consider yourself lucky, as it is likely the last thing you will enjoy in this world..." the man screamed and flailed, but it was no matter from her to restrain him, and the Succubus set to work striping him. These Humans had an odd fashion sense, with fanciful red and white coloring on their clothes under the armor they wore, and hats that found rather fancy, mainly from the feathers they sewed into them. She rather liked that. Another Human screamed something and tried to stab the Succubus, and Alma Elma simply caught the spear and broke it without looking to her right. While the man stared in astonishment, she threw the piece in her hand, and the spearhead still attached to it stabbed and killed him, piercing his heart.

"_**KARL! Sigmar verdammt noch mal!" **_the one pinned down by the Heavenly Knight screamed in rage, and then spat in her face, getting the Monster in the eye. Shocked, she wiped off the saliva, and then glared in anger as realization set in. Closing her hand, she proceeded to raise it instead. While any other Human would be shuddering fear and begging for their life for such a grievous sin to the many Humans had done unto Monster-kind, this man clearly stared in defiance instead, daring her to do it.

"I guess you want Hell instead of Heaven, bastard..." she snarled. She then brought down her fist on the Humans shoulder, and smiled as she heard the satisfying crunch of bones braking, followed by the man screaming in pain. He actually dared to defile her, the Queen of the Succubi! He should be grateful to be taken by one of the most powerful Monsters in the world, instead of some second hand Slime or Elf. Alma Elma did not stop with the one strike, as she rose another and hit the Human again, who let out another cry of pain.

"_**SIGFRIED! HILF HIHM!" **_one of the others watching yelled, and several spear men all charged, running in a set pattern so they wouldn't risk impaling each other. A number of archers had at this point arranged themselves at the wall, and nocked their arrows but not drawing them, waiting for a clear shot at the Heavenly Knight. She proceeded to channel the power of the Wind, and deflected the attacks by the Humans. Now finally angry, she proceeded to rush like a storm, punching and kicking the weaklings like a force of nature, putting just enough to cripple them, so she may finish them off with her body roughly and painfully. Spear men were knocked about left and right, A knight of some kind with that silvery and heavy plate armor they were so fond of using found himself laying face up in a crater, an imprint of a fist in his chest plate and wheezing in pain. The units with ranged weapon were ready and aiming, but did not fire, lest they injure or kill their comrades.

_This ought to make them cower before me. If I have to beat into them, I'll make these men beg for mercy for the next Monster they see! _Alma Elma thought, but she quickly saw she was not achieving the desired effect. Instead, she stared to see, she went from one Human to another, only looks of anger and rage. While she would've shrug and moved on, the Monster began to notice a similarity to their faces, to that Erubetie was making when the Humans were attacking them in their own capital. The kind of look that is made when one spent a life-time being hunted, seeing and hearing of your kind being slaughtered and butchered left and right. Alma Elma started to feel a sense of fear, slowing down until she stopped. The Succubus Queen looked around her, seeing that while many of the Humans were afraid, hate and anger towards her outweighed it, including the ones attacked by her.

"_**Mutante Hexe!" **_one snarled at her, as he tried to stand and draw his sword, only to fall on the leg Alma Elma shattered, and held the arm she snapped. Even so, he glared Alma Elma in the eyes with hatred and rage that radiated like an acid that dripped from his very soul. She could, in a matter she didn't around any other group of Humans she attacked in all her life, could actually _feel _the crushing waves of emotion coming from them, which drowned out her own like an inferno consume a lit match.

_What the hell? Who are these people? _She thought. She then bent down, and the men rushed at her, only to stop as she lifted one their own, who kicked and yelled in the guttural tongue these Humans called speech. Before he was ready to mentally prepare, Alma Elma forced herself into his mind, and copied his memories into her own. From the outside, the Humans saw their comrades eyes glow along with the Succubus Queens' own. And then light shooting out from his face into Alma Elmas'. One of the first things she learned was their language, which she learned was called Reikspeil.

"_**MEINE GOTTER! SIE STEH-EALING ALFREDS SOUL! SOMEONE STOP HER!" **_the commander, who was named Alfbrecht shouted, his Reiklander accent heavy and noticable as the Imperial State Troopers swarmed around the two, and together peeled the Heavenly Knight of Wind away from Alfred. The mind-link spell lasted for but a few seconds, but it was enough. And what Alma Elma saw shocked and horrified her to the very core of her being. While still lucid enough to be aware of her surroundings, she blew the Humans away with a gust of air, sending them scattering into the air and ragdolling as they fell once more. Just as Leopold the Priest of Morr entered the fight and started to draw on Shyish the Magic Wind of Death, the Succubus Queen flew away, screaming and crying in terror as she disappeared from sight.

Alma Elma was seeing the Old World from the eyes of Alfred, the soldier she mind-linked to. At first it started out in a normal matter one would expect of the average Human in say Illiasburg, where her family lived in poverty. However, the city she and her twin-sister lived in along with her parents was named Aldorn, and her family made a living working for a noble named Otto von Blitzart. The man was decent, by noble standards as while he was strict, Otto was not corrupt and abusive as the majority of the others around him. Even so, she would live in fear of what lay beyond the walls of Aldorn, and in the forests outside of it. Many knew of the things that dwelt outside the city, and thus the reason one should honor those who served in the Imperial Army.

Beastmen that raided newly built villages, burning the men eating their children and raping the women to death, braying praises to the Dark Gods. Wood Elves that were just as likely to torture you to death as they were to save you from said Beastmen. The Undead who wondered the lands, servants of the madmen known as Necromancers and monsters known as Vampires. Orcs and Goblins who lived for nothing but mayhem, killing people and livestock for fun. Then, there was the Norscans.

Raiders and unholy Humans blessed by the very same and unspeakable Gods that the Beastmen worshiped, known for the cursed and demonic armor they wore into battle, which hated the Empire and its allies, who wanted to destroy the world one and all. They were no better then the Beastmen, but were more dangerous for the way they were a bigger threat to the major powers then the aforementioned creatures. All these and more were throughout the land, and against them, stood the Imperial Army.

The Empire had developed a new need for conscripts, and she was chosen amongst their numbers. With spear and shield in hand, Alma Elma, through the perspective of Alfred fought numerous hordes of monsters and beasts indescribable. At first, she was constantly afraid, wanting to run, but fighting on knowing if she did, she would die, while fighting meant she that just might live. Then, overtime she grew less afraid, not out of the joy of surviving, but from being used to death, both of those she fought against, and those she fought alongside.

Then, the End Times began. She was on her way to Ubersreik, fighting the rat men known as the Skaven, whose mere existence is kept in the Empire. Due to the nature of their dark magics and technology, her fear of death re awoke within her, but glady the beasts were destroyed at Ubersreik. When Alma Elma reached the point where the Imperial State Troopers were transported into the Monster Lords Castle, she wanted to scream. They thought a Mutant, corrupted by Chaos, and a pitiful soul to be put down. They did not fear the Monsters, rather, they hated and loathed them, with such a scale that the only thing keeping them back is the confusion of where they are.

These Humans are nothing like the ones her kind knew, she had to stop her kind from provoking them, as even victory will come at the gravest of prices...


	8. Chapter 8

**Vermin Tide Quest**

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Chapter 8

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As the Monsters of Hellgondo prepared for a battle, They turned and looked towards the sensation of the Heavenly Knight of the Wind flying towards their camp. However they saw that the famous Succubus Queen was coming with the glorious white of male fluids between her fluids indicating victory, and were also shocked when they saw the terrified look of fear in her eyes. One of them, a Dragon named Inma spoke up.

"Alma Elma, wha-" The Dragon did not have time to finish her sentence, as Alma Elma flew like a missile past her, a sonic boom shaking the air and ground, popping several ears and making several Monsters grasp their heads at the sudden pain. "Oooww. What the hell?" she muttered, and then turned to where Alma Elma flew into the main tent. After a few seconds passed, Alma Elma and Erubuties voices could be heard arguing. She could not hear what was being said, so ignored it and took a walk out to the outskirts of the camp. She was going to get a drink.

As she reached the entrance a portal opened up, and Tamano came through, carry the limp and wheezing form of Granberia, and several loud banging sounds were heard as she created a wall of rock to block the balls of lead fired from them. Several mechanical wolf-like creatures tried to come through the portal, but the nine-tailed Kitsune shut it off before they fully emerged, cutting them both in half. Upon seeing that she had several slash and bite marks as well as a number of fire spear shots in her clothes and body, Inma and several others gathered around the two Knights, and Alma and Erubutie also could be seen running over to them. As the golden wolves disintegrated and fell apart, Tamano spoke.

"By the First Lord, that was close! The leader and funeral Priest are a lot tougher then they looked. At the very least we shouldn't have any-" suddenly her ears perked up, before she punched the air, suffusing her fist with magic. A loud impact sound was heard, and something made a yelping noise that was like the combination of a feral dog and a Demon, before impacting the ground somewhere outside the walls. Suddenly a new set of claw marks raked her back, and the Kitsune arched her back and screamed as something tore at her. As the Monsters got back in a circle, Erubetie rushed in. "NO DON'T!" Tamano yelled, but the Slime Queen already cast a healing spell on the Kitsune, and her body and clothes were fixed. Suddenly Erubeties side exploded as she visibly saw something to her left, and the Slime Queen swung a limb at the attacker.

"Where is it and what is it?!" Erubetie yelled, getting visibly annoyed as she stood at Tamanos back.

"Some kind of Demon summoned by the anti-Necromancy wizard. All I know about them is you can only see them if you use your peripheral vision, since they can't be seen directly, will attack anyone that helps us, and they can only be injured and killed by magic." Tamano summarized, as she dealt another magic-infused blow, this one a karate chop that flew to the right and caught the thing attacking her and her fellow Knight. After a brief moment passed, she turned to Erubetie. "Alright, that is the last of them."

"So you heard the news?" Erubetie asked. Tamano nodded as she passed Granberia off to a pair of Monsters to be taken care of. When moaning sounds resume in one of the tents, Alma Elma started to hyperventilate and panic.

"Those aren't Humans from that army in the castle right?" she asked.

"Hey, no need to panic Alma, breathe after me." Tamano said when she noticed the look on her friends face, and began to perform some calming measures with her. "Calm down alright, no need to be worried. Now, what did you see when you mind-linked to one of the soldiers?"

"You what?!" Erubetie yelled. After she composed herself, she spoke again. "You did kill the Human you linked too so they can't find us, right?" she asked, holding a hand between the three Knights. After seeing the visibly fearful look on Alma Elmas' face, she facepalmed. "Oh by the Ancestors! You fool!"

"Relax, I killed him on the way out." Initially the Monsters around the area relaxed.

"What about the anti-Necromancer guy? From the memories I sifted through, they can commune with the spirits of the dead." Tamano looked at Alma Elma blankly. "...damn."

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**POV SHIFT**

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As Luka and Alice woke up from the bed they were in, Alice suddenly shot up. This startled Luka, who fell off and hit his head on the frame of the bed. Alice upon hearing the thud jumped in shock, and looked over in worry. After seeing he was fine, the Lamia calmed down quickly before he saw her face.

"What's wrong Alice?" Luka asked. He rubbed the back of his head, and groaned in pain. Alice opened her mouth, initially about to call him an idiot, then reconsidered her words.

"Try to be more careful. Anyways, I jumped up because our 'friends' back at the village doing repairs? They're gone." Alice said. "The Harpy Queen had stated that she had not seen them since last night. Last she saw of them, they were standing guard near one of Happiness Villages' water wells, and managed to communicate that the town militia should keep an eye on the others." Lukas eyes widen in shock.

"Oh no. If they're running around, the last thing we want is them fighting any Monsters." he muttered. Alice nodded in agreement. "Any ideas of where they are?"

"Well, Illias-port is the only place they know of besides Harpy Village, and given they know nothing about us or this world, it would be safe to assume they would try to go somewhere familiar." Alice explained. "We'll start there, then wait if that is not it."

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**POV SHIFT**

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As Kruber yawned and got up from bed, he stretched out his arms, and looked around the cottage he was in. Just as the sun was rising, Olyesa located the Ubersreik Five and teleported them over. While Kruber did consider whether or not to say goodbye, he and the others settled for quickly getting out of here, not wanting to stay in this accursed land unless it was to finish off any Skaven around the area. He looked over and saw Kerillian was sleeping next to it, still in her Waywatcher outfit.

"Morning." he said as she groaned in responce, then after a few seconds looked over at the Wood Elf, who was staring wide-eyed at him. "WHAT IN MORRS' BLOODY GRAVE ARE YOU DOING IN MY BED?!" the Empire Trooper screamed. "GET OUT OF MY ROOM!"

"UP YOURS MAYFLY! THIS IS MY ROOM!" Kerillian yelled back, hitting her head on the bunk bed up top. Victor suddenly fell off of it, wearing a night robe and cap with a bright white crusader cross and comet pattern on it.

"SIGMARSAVEME- GAAH!" the Witch Hunter yelled as he hit the floor. He then jumped up, point a pair of pistols at both the others. "Which one of you struck me?! I got a lead ball for the criminals forehead, and by Sigmars will, I intend to find out which one of you is guilty of heresy by assaulting one who is tasked by holy Sigmar himself to find and destroy it!" He yelled. As Bardin woke up, he got up from the bottom bunk bed, and then looked at the sight of the Humans and Wood Elf staring at him.

"Five more minutes... and take it outside." the Dwarf muttered, then went back to sleep after climbing back into the bed, not wanting to deal with the others this early in the morning. After Victor Kerillian and Kruber looked around and saw their surroundings, they calmed down. They then remembered they had been tired after the events that transpired, and thus went straight to sleep. After getting dressed (going out to take a bath in a nearby stream before the others and then changing clothes when she gets back in Kerillians case.) Victor and co left Bardin, still asleep and entered the living room of the cottage. Franz and Olyesa swore when Victor questioned them that its was abandoned when they found it, and had hunkered down for the night. A gang of Elves with brown skin tried to break in, but Franz ended the attack by shooting at them with the handgun he managed to keep on his person when the Skaven destroyed the Red Moon Inn.

"After that, they ran off. They learned their lesson it seems. Now, what do you lot want for breakfast?" The former bartender asked. After placing their orders, he and Olyesa started cooking in the kitchen while Victor and Kruber told the two about their adventures. When they got to the part about Kerillian believing they were in another world, Olyesa turned to the two men.

"That actually explains a lot. The Winds are rather weak for some reason, but still blowing throughout this world, as well as some of the maps me and Franz Lohner found in the basement. Now, where did the Elf go?"

"Off to the river to take a bath I think." Kruber said.

"Ok. She does know that there are Mutants running about right?" Lohner asked.

"Yeah. We encountered a few, including a Mutant Elf." Victor responded. They then turned upon hearing Bardin walking in from the hallway. He was still clearly half-asleep, but even so he grabbed an ale that was handed to him by Franz, chugged it down, then got another when the bartender offered a refill. After this repeated about ten times, Bardin was satisfied and went back to his room.

"Ha! Ten ales, pay up Victor." Kruber said just quietly enough to not be heard down the hall, showing a hand as the Witch Hunter muttered something under his breath about drunken Dwarfs as he gave Markus a small bag that jingled. "Well, in any case, she can handle herself. It'll take more then a few Mutants to off her." he said, then under his breath added. "Unfortunately."

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**POV SHIFT**

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As Lazarus woke up and stretched himself awake, the man crawled out of bed. After getting dressed and going out to see the general on goings of accepting the two newcomers last night, he found the HQ of Illias Kruez was abuzz with activity. One of the members ran over to him when he waved them over. As the man looked and saw several of the members were holding bloody noses and other wounds, Lazarus turned to the man that ran over.

"What's happened?" he asked. The member looked about, then spoke.

"Well, its about the reports of the Monsters that have been attacking and raiding throughout the continent. Our informants have just reported in that the Rat-Men are headed this way, and everyone except two people that have joined us yesterday are panicking. As an additional, they're trying to request to speak with you about reinforcing the area to fight them, even more so then the Monsters we're used to dealing with. Enough to start a brawl Jared and his team." the man replied. Lazarus sighed, then nodded his head.

"Alright, I'll hear what they have to say. Just let me get some breakfast first."

After some time passed, he was sitting in his office with a desk in front of him as Ulboro and Ulreik walked into the room and sat down across from it. After seeing them get somewhat comfortable, as they always seemed to insist on being armed to the teeth (which given the way these men apparently traveled through Monster territory, Lazarus can somewhat empathize with.) Lazarus proceeded to speak.

"So, you wanted to talk about the Rat-Men? You have additionally... strongly requested to focus on them more then the Monsters, from what my people explained." he said with his hands folded up. Hunter began to open his mouth, only for his Warrier-Priest companion Ulboro to stop him.

"This is so. Hunter and I did become rather overzealous about our history with these creatures. The Skaven race is likely coming here to form a base of sorts. That cannot happen, and with their destructive potential, even the Monsters will pale in comparison to what is coming." the Sigmarite explained.

"How so? There have been Monsters capable of devastating mountains that walked on this earth, and so far, none of these 'Skaven' as you called them showed any of that kind of raw power, physical or magical. Hell, most of the attacks that have been witnessed by my informants stated they rely on numbers and odd weaponry that tends to malfunction." Lazarus replied. This prompted the Warrior-Priest to sigh in response.

"True, but how many survivors are there compared to the average Monster raid in your homeland of Illias continent usually, Human or Monster?" he asked. Lazarus then looked down, thinking on the answer.

"Very few when the Skaven start to get the upper hand. At with Monsters, Humans are able to at least have a chance to escape if we're quick enough. That, and it seems there's a new report of a Skaven attack each day, while Monsters tend to take a few weeks at least."

"Exactly. And like us, they're from our world. And believe me, the Skaven are most definitely a danger to Humanity on this world that is more immediate then the Monsters could ever be. It's by their machinations I, Ulreik, and I suspect many others from my world are now trapped here." Ulboro explained. Upon seeing the confused look Lazarus had, the Warrier-Priest proceeded to explain how the Skaven had attacked the Empire City of Ubersreik, and how the Ubersreik Five were central to stopping their plans for invasion as well as the resistance there holding them down until reinforcements came. Ulboro and Ulreik in particular formed up a group of their own that fought at the docks, helping the heros who eventually saved it by retaking some parts of the city after they accomplished their goals in the area. However, the Skaven as a result cast some kind of spell in response that sent the two into this, leading them to where they are now. "And I highly doubt we're the only Humans to end up here." Ulboro added at the end. Lazarus listened intently, his face impassive and blank. He could see from the Sigmarite Priests' body language that the man was not lying about what they experienced.

Inwardly however, he felt some sense of doubt growing within himself. It wasn't in the two Imperials, but more if he and the rest of Illias Kruez can fight them off.

"You seem unsure of yourself and your men." Lazarus looked up upon hearing Ulboro, and realized his face gave away what he thought. Hunter seemed to know what the two talked about, and seemed rather pissed off about something about the conversation. "Do not worry, for as long as one has faith, our Gods will see to it that we will prevail in the battle to come." the Warrior-Priest said, thumping a hand against his chest plate. Now feeling a sense of being invigorated, Lazarus smiled slightly. Perhaps he and his men stand a chance after all.

_**"Was ist das?"**_ Hunter asked, pointing a 'pistol' as Ulboro called it something in the corner under the wardrobe. Suddenly an Elf dressed like a Kuioichi emerged from a shadow, despite the space being way to small for her to fit in.

"HOW DID YOU DETECT ME?!" she yelled, before lunging at the Witch Hunter. When he then shot her in the shoulder, the Elf screamed in pain, and jumped out a window and ran away on the roof when Ulreik pulled out a second pistol from his coat and pointed it at her. The Witch Hunter followed in hot pursuit, now shouting in his tongue at her, with several more booming sounds being heard as she was chased off the Illias Kruez HQ rooftop while several of its members who were standing sentry watched in confusion and awe. Lazarus took a few seconds to process what had happened, then smiled. If he didn't have Ulboro and his Witch Hunter friend here, it would've likely take the entirety of Illias Kruez to stand a chance against that Elf, and that is with an open plain with her surrounded. Now Humanity stood a chance against the Monsters...


	9. Chapter 9

**Vermin Tide Quest**

* * *

Chapter 9

* * *

As Kerillian was washing off the last bit of hair she had left to clean while sitting on a rock, she started going through the memories of the last few days. So far, this world has shown nothing but one Khaine-damned hell pit of abominations after abominations. First, she was running through Skaven, butchering the rat men with glee, now she is stuck with these Chaos mutated women 'Monsters' of whom her own kind in this world can be counted among their number.

"Hey, I never seen you around here before." speaking of which, Kerillian could sense one of these Elves walking up behind. "I should probably let you know, there is a groups of Humans that got killed one of us." at this the Waywatcher paused. If they're both thinking of the same Humans, it was a good thing she didn't turn immediately around. "Either way, you should be careful, they used some kind of weapon nobody has ever seen before. If you're looking for a place to stay with everything going on, Enrika Village back in Illias continent is the place to go." with that the Elf walked away. Suddenly, the Elf paused and Kerillian heard the Elf breathing quicken. "Wait, those clothes... who are you?"

"Damn." the Wood Elf muttered, before rolling off the boulder she was sitting on, grabbing her dagger from where she set it next to her and tackling the intruder. "Hold your tongue or lose it!" she said affirmatively, as her native counterpart backed up nervously. While the Waywatcher still had much to figure out about the language the peoples of this world speak, she was more then about to get the general gist of it. When the Elf that ran into her looked into Kerillians eyes, she paled in fear.

"By the First, you're the Kinslayer!" she cried out. The Elf then tried to shout, only to grab her nose and groan in pain when Kerillian punched her in the face before then, and visibly shuddered as she was forced to look at the Waywatcher as Kerillian grabbed her roughly by the cheeks and set the knife blade on her throat, just above the jugular. "Don't kill me! I-I won't tell anyone, I swear!"

"Shut up then!" the Wood Elf hissed in anger. Her counterpart was dressed in a flowing black dress, which did nothing to hide her assets of course. Her pale purple skin was lightly covered in sweat, and the smell assaulted Kerillians' nose, only serving to annoy her further. She particularly hated being around the Skaven for it, and even now already hated this Elf for how easily she was distracted by it. "Listen closely you little shit. I'm not one of your mutant kin, so do not think for a second that I give a crap about what happens to you, nor do I want to stay in this accursed world. Got it?" she snarled, to which the other Elf nodded her head. "Alright then, I'm going to release you, and you will leave. You will not talk about this encounter with me, nor will I. Do so, and I will know, and I will find you and gut you the next time we meet." after a second passed, Kerillian released the other Elf, who scrambled away in fear. She then turned to the Fairies that were watching this. "Same goes for you as well."

After a couple minutes passed, she was back inside the cottage that she and the others were hiding in. Victor was sitting at the entrance, repeater crossbow across his lap as he smoked his pipe while sitting in a rocking chair. Olyesa appeared to have put an illusion spell which made Victor look like an older version of himself, and the crossbow was made to look like a regular one as well. Upon seeing the angry glint in her eyes, he spoke.

"Something happen on the way here?" he asked. "You look like a Norscan that got his ax and skulls taken away from him."

"Nothing that is your business mayfly." Kerillian retorted, earning a 'hmph' from Victor.

"Well, Franz is still serving breakfast."

"Already ate." with that, the Wood Elf entered the cottage and passed the other three, who watched from their game of cards as she sat down and got an ale. Kruber and Sienna looked at each other, and then continued playing when Bardin set his cards down. They weren't gambling or anything, just passing the time. As Kerillian took a drink, Franz walked up to her, and saw her mouth twitched.

"Ran into a Mutant?" he asked silently.

"No. One of the native Elves, but they're not much better. Apparently me and Bardin are the only non-Human things on this world that aren't either a Skaven, or some horny beast looking for her next dick to rape to death." the Wood Elf whispered, summarizing her melancholy. Franz Lohner had basically became somewhat of a friend to each of the Ubersreik Five during the siege by the Skaven, and thus he was the only one that was really able to mediate between them whenever they started to fight with one another in the Red Moon Inn. "That is the summary the Weave of the forests of this world gave me."

"Ah, you sure you don't want to talk about it?" Franz asked.

"No."

"Alright then. Let me know if you want a refill."

"Sure."

* * *

**POV SHIFT**

* * *

As Ulreik chased the Elf assassin throughout the city, he fired off another shot in her direction. He was on horseback same as her, only she rode on what one of the member of Illias Kreuz called a Centaur. As far as he was concerned, it was a female Dragon-Orge with less spikes on it. He raised up another pistol, and starting calling out to them.

"Get back here you beasts! Come here and face the justice of Sigmar!" he yelled, before seeing a group of people running to block him off. These traitors were actually protecting the spy! "Out of my way!" he shouted, spurring the horse to gallop faster. Now seeing that he was not stopping, the Humans that tried to block him split up and ran. If there was one thing Lazarus had going for him, it was being able to hide amongst these heretics as they scattered to get away. As he watched, the Centaur galloped even faster then his horse, leaving the Witch Hunter to stop just as he reached the outskirts of the town. He wanted to pursue the two Monsters further, but knew that would likely lead to him getting ambushed at the rate the chase was going. With an exasperated sigh, Ulreik turned the horse around, then noticed it was starting to tire out from being overworked too hard for several hours, further reinforcing the point of stopping the chase for later. After getting off of it, Ulreik guided the horse to a water trough.

A group of Humans, one of which Ulreik recognized as one of the men that tried to get in his way started to approach him. When they said something and pointed at the water trough, Ulreik simply tossed a few coins at them. He knew that they were trying to convince him the trough was off limits and deny him watering the horse. Unfortunately, he did not give a crap what they thought, since there were other horses drinking the water as well. One of them seemed to figure that out, and grabbed his shoulder.

Ulreik turned, grabbed the mans wrist, then broke it right there on the spot by twisting it until a snapping sound could be heard. He could see more of them coming over as well, as the men stepped back from the Witch Hunter in shock. As one of the heretics then pulled back his fist to punch Ulreik, the Witch Hunter countered with a jab to the nose and the diaphragm, leaving the man to fall over wheezing. Another tried to grab him from behind, only to yelp as Ulreik stomped on his foot, then tossed him over his shoulder into the woman that was about to hit him with a stick. They both fell into a cloud of dust, while Ulreik bobbed and weaved around the series of attacks the heretics were throwing at him.

"Thou art found wanting, both of faith and loyalty to Sigmar and of the ability to fight!" he yelled at them, now all on the ground and running off back to their homes. A women then started to approach Ulreik, who he quickly realized was a Monster, as she was another Centaur. This one carried a sword, a simple broadsword which she pulled out of a sheath hung where her human and horse halves met and pointed it at him as she said something as he looked at him.

"Sorry, I don't speak Chaos tongue Mutant." he replied, then drew his own sword, a single bladed one called a falchion and disarmed her with a flourish while she was looking at him in confusion. As he then swung to take advantage of the opening, she then slapped with a backhand, sending the Witch Hunter into the air. As he watched sky fly around him he muttered, "Ow." before landing face first into the ground and groaned in pain. As he got up, he then saw the Centaur rear up her legs, preparing to stomp on him. He turned again, dodging the attack, before pulling out a pistol and shooting one of them at the knee. The Centaur screamed at this as she fell on it, and Ulreik struck her with the handle, using it as a makeshift club to hit the Monster in the face.

As Ulreik looked up from the now incapacitated Centaur, he saw several other Monsters emerging from the nearby buildings. He also could see that Lazarus, Ulboro, and several members of Illias Kruez had caught up to him. When Ulreik looked over behind him, he realized they must have took an alternate route, guided by the Warrior-Priest by faith.

"Are you alright?" Ulboro said, as Ulreik picked up his sword. Lazarus looked over at the Monsters coming upon them, and muttered something while he and the Human men and women with him drew their weapons. As the Warrior-Priest looked over at the oncoming mob of Monsters he smiled slightly. "Well, I do believe we got a problem coming our way. You know what Sigmars will on such things is right?" he said, hefting his hammer onto his shoulder.

"Yes brother Ulboro. The same thing as when anything else threatens the Empire or the World." The Witch Hunter replied, before knocking out the Centaur with another strike with his pistol. "We go on a purge in Sigmars name."

* * *

**POV SHIFT**

* * *

As Balthasar Gelt was going over the list of injuries and wounded soldiers from the two Monsters that just wiped several dozen or so State Troopers like nothing, he sighed as he pinched his mask where the bridge of his nose was. He closed his eyes, and started to rub at the mask.

_I should've got a Jade Wizard as well. By the Gods, we absolutely need to get the hell out of here. _He thought, when a knock was heard. He looked up from the desk he was sitting at. "Enter." he said, and he was surprised that it was the Priest of Morrs Leopold, and his escort Black Guard Arnold. "Is something the matter?" he asked, to which Leopold nodded.

"We have heard that a Vampire was spotted, and it was confirmed from the injuries that it drained one of the men of his blood." Leopold said. Balthasar saw where this is going.

"And you are letting me know that your mind is set on hunting it down. Very well, but I implore you, you are the only one who can administer to the dead. So, what ever you do, don't die on me, and fall back if the odds are against you. I know you are bound to not let an Undead escape you, but that means nothing if we are unable to be sent to Morr because you are dead." after looking at each other for a second, Leopold and Arnold looked back at Gelt.

"As you wish, Supreme Patriarch." with that, the two left the room. Balthasar then decided to go a walk, and decided to see if the seal that was detected by him and the other Wizards could give any insight as to who lived here. As he picked up the Staff of Volens, a State Trooper ran over to Gelt, breathing in a heavy manner.

"Mi lord Patriarch, we found the dungeons!" he said. "And its bad!" Gelt, starting to suspect the issue, ran with the Trooper leading.

Upon finding the the dungeons, Balthasar felt sicken with disgust. Most of the cells were occupied by nearly dead men, many of whom were reaching out for whatever god they worshiped, Illias in particular, being he recognized the sound of her name being muttered and whispered, and he and Leopold who was also there could see the Amethyst Wind was blowing as a storm within the dungeons, a purple haze that grew thicker or thinner depending on the state of the man it gravitated towards.

"So, this is why the Wind of Death is so strong here." Gelt snarled, causing the State Trooper to back off. Balthasar Gelt rarely showed emotion, so seeing him be visibly disturbed in such a manner made it a nerve-wracking thing to see. After he composed himself, Gelt turned to the runner.

"Fetch the medical supplies and administer what aid you can spare. Now we know one of the many secrets of this place, and I feel like there is more then just this one thing we will find." Leopold said, inspecting the condition of a boy around fifteen years of age. "Hmm, still alive. But barely." he muttered, before moving on. He could see that Shyish blew in the manner that it usually did around the Gardens of Morr, but he could not find any bodies. Where did these Monsters dispose of the dead then?

"Illias is clearly more pathetic and useless then I thought, to let things deteriorate for Humanity this badly on her world..." Gelt muttered. When a thunder clap could be heard, Bathasar looked around along with the other Humans in the dungeon.

"Hey, are you sure you should-"

"Yes. And I know you hear me Illias!" Balthasar shouted. When the thundering grew, he simply scoffed with, "Try me then!" as the Golden Wind of Chamon started to flow around him. Leopold sighed and started to mentally gather the Wind of Death as well, ready to fight if things snowballed out of control. As the presence of Illias withdrew, Gelt muttered, "I thought so." before a sudden portal appeared, and a red-headed woman, some Angel with green hair that glared at Gelt with fury, and a girl in a blue dress appeared through it...


	10. Chapter 10

**Vermin Tide Quest**

* * *

Chapter 10

* * *

As Promestein and Black Alice stared back at Gelt and Leopold, Eden could not help but chuckle. When they showed up in the dungeon, the Human soldier that was with them ran off. Pointing a finger at Gelt, she spoke condescendingly to him.

"You know, he was smart enough to run the moment we showed up. Are you sure that you want to continue with this inane resistance?" she asked. After offering an open palm towards the masked man, she smiled. "If you recant your statements about Illias, we will be more then forgiving of your sins." Balthasar looked at her, visible disdain towards the nude Angel held back at he responded.

"Hmph, so she is brave enough to go after me for insulting her, but not enough to lift a finger when this has been happening for how long?" he replied, gesturing to the dungeon in general. As his body started to glow from yellow trails of magical energy emerging from the ground, he then stopped and looked up. When he looked back to Black Alice and the two Angels he said, "Let's take this outside the castle... I'm gonna kick your ass, and I want to make sure Illias sees me do so first hand." before turning around and walking up the stairs. Leopold walked away as well, and when a knight when black armor looked over from a cell, the three paused in shock as the third Human followed the two up.

_Hold on, how did we not notice him? _Eden thought. _And not only that, how is he able to move so silently in all that armor? _Promestein immediately took out a notebook, and started to write something down. When they heard Gelt speak, it was towards someone up top.

"Get the men in those cells into triage as quickly as possible. Also, keep an eye out, three of this worlds' detestable spawn are in there, but so far they haven't made a move towards the prisoners." A number of Human soldiers then came down the stairs. After initially pausing at seeing the trio of some of the most powerful creatures to walk on this world, they ignored them to go about their duty. Eden was starting to grow annoyed with Gelt and his antics. Promestein simply scowled at the hubris Gelt had to speak like that.

"How does it feel to be looked down upon?" Black Alice said smugly. "I'm starting to enjoy the anticipation of breaking him in more and more." with that, she walked up the stairs with a smarmy look on her face. Promestein just sighed, and muttered something under her breath.

"I'm gonna kill her one day." Eden growled, causing one of the State Troopers carrying one of the younger boys to back up and let her pass in fear. Some of the Imperials laughably even had their weapons drawn, keeping them up and ready to fight. "Oh, don;t you know that drawing a weapon on Illias, or any of her images or servant Angels is breaking one of her commandments? No matter, I'll just have to punish you all later after we take care of Gelt.~" she then addressed to the Humans, laughing darkly as they looked at her in confusion.

After she and the others were gathered in the courtyard of the castle, Gelt and Promestein faced each other, while Eden and Black Alice sat under the shadows of the walls. Leopold and a small crowd of Imperials were watching the face off from the other side where the castle itself was looming. A number of Humans could also be seen wandering about, still unsure of the possibility of intervention by who knows what else was around.

Promestein spoke first, her tone emotionless and cold as she folded her arms under her breasts. "I suppose you aren't gonna bother with any discussions about the secrets of the universe? I can tell you are someone who is a scholar at heart."she said. "Either way, it's a shame the Seekers of Truth would miss the opportunity that would come from learning alongside you about the secrets of this universe. Just some food for thought." At that, Gelt chuckled.

"When asked: 'What is the name of the stone that burns?' Thou shalt respond: 'Sulpher to be mixed with mercury.' When asked 'What is the name of the universal solvent?' Thou shalt respond: 'Al-kahest.' When asked: 'What is the name of the remedy for all maladies?' Thou shalt respond: 'Panacea Universalis.' When asked: 'What is the name of the acme of the Art?' Thou shalt respond: 'The Elixir of Life. When asked: 'What is the name of the noblest of metals?' Thou shalt respond: 'Gold.'" he intoned. Promestein simply raised an eyebrow as she listened. Then she smiled at that.

"Well now, quite the poet too when it strikes you." then she frowned, and began to charge a powerful spell as a transparent pair of wings and a halo appeared over her head and on her back. "Unfortunately for you, it is too late to recant now." with that, Promestein then cast a spell that caused a fireball to fall down and towards Gelt. However, Bathasar simply looked up, and slammed his staff down before firing a beam of golden energy at it. Upon contact, the fireball simply disappeared and vanished, leaving the Promestein, Eden and Black Alice to look open mouthed in shock and awe at the display. "H-how did you... how did you counter it?!" Promestein cried out, the normally calm and stoic red-headed Angel visibly shocked at this.

"You don't know how to dispel magic?" Gelt asked. When she looked at him in further confusion, he tutted lightly. "In my world, it is the most rudimentary of things to turn aside and cancel out the effects on a spell mid-battle. Perhaps you should try again when you are wiser and more experienced in the arcane arts." At that, Eden got and shouted to Promestein.

"OI! DON'T LET HIM GET TO YOUR HEAD! HE IS PROBABLY BLUFFING, EVEN IF IT IS THE MOST BASIC THING TO DO WHERE HE IS FROM!" she shouted. "NOW BEAT HIM AND GET THIS OVER WITH ALREADY!" suddenly Gelt fell to his knee, and began panting.

"Damn." he muttered under his breath, panting heavily from exertion. Promestein saw this, and upon looking over and seeing the Humans watching this become concerned and terrified, she smiled evilly.

_Eden was right, there is no way a Human would be able to walk off doing such a feat like that. _The Angel then rushed at him in full speed, got behind him, and raised her arm to deliver a karate chop to his exposed back. _Fool, you set yourself up. _Then she brought her arm downwards.

However, when she heard him scoff and saw him turn to look at her, Promestein hesitated for a second, which Bathasar Gelt used to side-step and spin around as she missed her strike and hit the ground instead. When she looked up, it was to see a golden fist flying at her. As she realized he tricked her, the red-head muttered "You motherfu-" before it struck her in the side of her left jaw. As the crowd watched in shock, Bathasar suddenly threw a flurry of punches, causing a blue blood like substance to fly out and cover him. Promestein tried to block the attacks, but the magic Gelt was using ignored her attempts to use the element of Earth trough the false spirit Gnomaren to shut his spell down. In fact, she could tell that from the damage she was taking, that Gelts attacks were somehow going through her defenses.

_Damnit! If he is not using the Earth, then what is this magic?! _The Angel scientist thought, before a sudden upper cut from Gelt knocked her off-balance, striking her in the chin as she blacked out for a half-second. As she regained her senses, she turned to see Balthasar deliver a final punch to her torso that sent her flying into the castle wall next to Eden and Black Alice. As Eden looked to the hold through the dust, she could see her fellow Angels legs twitching.

"Um, Promestein?" Eden asked. "Are you alright?"

"Bugger off." the Angel replied, before a groan of pain could be heard and she went still. Black Alice walked over and inspected Promesteins' body after they heard nothing for a few seconds, then turned back to Eden.

"Yeah, she's out. I'm out as well." Black Alice then opened a portal, and dragged Promestein through it. Eden then turned and shouted.

"What?! NO, GET BACK HERE!" she yelled, but the portal closed before she could grab wither one of the other two. "AAALLLLIIIICCCEE!" she screamed in rage.

"Guess that just leaves you then." A threatening voice said behind Eden, causing goosebumps to form on the Angels skin. With the hairs on the back of her neck standing up, Eden turned to see Gelt and Leopold with their respective magical energies suffusing the area around them, creating a menacing aura around the both of them. With a yelp of surprise, Eden jumped back and tripped on one of the stones that was knocked loose. She then hit the wall again, causing that particular spot of it to come falling down and burying her in a pile of rubble. With that, Leopold and Gelt turned around and left her there.

"Think we should repair that?"

"With what? Lemons and toothpaste?"

"Good point."

* * *

**POV SHIFT**

* * *

As the Ubersreik Five were heading to a town under siege by the Skaven, they went over the objective. Kerillian was able to get word from the forest that a group of Skaven had found a village, and were now attacking the settlement, which was starting to break down. The Ubersreik Fie were now in the cart Olyesa was driving in, where as soon as they got to a certain point, would be dropped off at a crossroads to ambush the rat men from behind, cause havoc to distract them, then leave while the town launched a counterattack.

"So the Skaven have started construction of a number of their infernal devices, right?" Victor asked.

"Correct. Specifically, they are creating some sort of cannon battery. Currently it is unknown where they are getting the Warpstone for this, and finding out how is a secondary priority to crippling them. Right now, they're camping in the forest here, and have apparently been exploiting a clash between two native factions there in an area called Plansect Forest." the Wood Elf explained. She then gave a brief summary about it being between a group of Monsters that were based on plants, and another based on insects, and that the plant Monsters have been warned through the forests Weave, but due to not listening to Monsters not listening to the Forest and their non-Monster counterparts through the Weave for a long time, they lost and then forgot the ability to communicate with them.

"Wait, the Plant Monsters used to be connected to their home?" Kruber asked.

"Yes." Kerillian said. "The manner by which they communicated is similar to that of how my people speak to the spirits of Athel Loren, but so were the other Monsters. Apparently I'm the only one who spoke with them the way I did for a long time." the Wood Elf explained. There of course was much she left out. The main thing being that not only do the forests of this world not only speak with each other, but they have become dismayed at the state of their world. With everything having fallen apart, they became silent and communed only in whispers to each other.

"Either way, we are here only to kill the Skaven. If the native Monsters come running, we're getting out of here, got it?" Victor said, as all five heros readied their weapons. As they started to reach a clearing, he looked to see that his vision was still blocked by the growth of the forest.

"Got it." Kruber said, pulling back the hammer on his handgun and looking out one of the window slots in the carriage, and seeing their vision was now clear. He then looked closely at something, then his eyes widened. "Oh crap! INCOMING!" he suddenly shouted, before everyone was suddenly lurched to the side by an explosion. Olyesa was able to stabilize the cart before it fell to the roadside, and the group kept moving several more explosions struck the road.

"WHO'S ATTACKING US?!" Sienna yelled out. The Fire Wizard readied her sword and staff, a look of anger at being shot at while stuck in a position of not fighting back.

"There's a battle going on between the Skaven and several Plant Monsters!" Kruber cried out. As Bardin and Kerillian looked out the window, they were able to confirm what Markus was saying.

There were around five or six of the Monsters, who were surrounded by a horde of Skaven, Multiple corpses indicated the battle had been going on for some time, and its toll could be seen on the Plants as well. For example one in particular which looked like a mass of tree roots with a flower on it had half her face missing, and the flower on her back was starting to wilt. As a Clan Rat tried to rush her from behind, she made a kicking motion with a root, impaling the Skaven soldier. One of the Monsters, which appeared as a women that was half Venus-fly trap was trying to battle what looked to be a Warplock Engineer, or at least a Skaven aspiring to be one. The explosions were the result of said Engineer throwing a cluster of grenades, which the Monster deflected in the path of the Ubersreik Five. When the Warplock Engineer saw that the Ubersreik Five were there, he paused and stared. The Plant Monster took advantage of this to try and eat him, only to reel back in pain as her Venus flytrap mouth, which was positioned to almost look like her hair was stabbed through the top part by the Skavens halberd. The Engineer then pointed at Olyesa and her carriage, and let out a chittering noise.

"Ah shit, here we go again." Kruber sighed, and shot a Stormvermin in the head as the Skaven started to chase after it. Olyesa then looked ahead of the road, determined to find a path through which to go. When she saw a fork in road, she turned back to the Ubersreik Five.

"Right or Left path!? Left path will take us through more forest growth, right is still within the clearing!" she yelled, summarizing the difference between the roads. Victor, being the one who knew the Skaven mentality the most spoke up before the others.

"Go right! The Skaven can't sneak up on us as easily as they could on the left path!" Saltzpyre said. Upon seeing Wolf Rats chasing the carriage, he took out a repeater crossbow, and fired off a volley of bolts into their midst, killing several as they got close to the Ubersreik Five. "The Skaven are sending Wolf Rats after us, and they have a Warplock Engineer? Where are they getting new blood for their campaigns here?!" he screamed in anger, reloading his repeater crossbow. Bardin inspected the ammo crate they had on the floorboards of the carriage, and turned to Victor.

"Oi, you, Markus, and I should save up on black powder and crossbow bolts. Just so you know." After looking at for a second, Victor frowned. While they had plenty of ammunition for him and the others, Sienna not included, Kerillian is more then able to make her own arrows, while Victor himself, Markus, and Bardin would need to find someone to replenish their stockpile eventually. They learned that all too well back at the previous villages where the bird women and Humans lived together, as well as the state of the one port they know of that this world was behind them in terms of technological level, so replacing their black powder and lead will be difficult.

"Duly noted Bardin." Victor replied. After seeing the crossbow was loaded, he looked out to see the Wolf Rats turned away, and then back to the others. "Alright, the Skaven aren't pursuing us on the road, so keep an eye out for anything trying to flank us."

"Yes sir."

"Awright then Umgi."

"Yeah, yeah mayfly."

"Got Saltzpyre."

"Olyesa, any idea where we are relative to the drop off point?" Kruber asked.

"Just a few more minutes." she said, and with that, the group moved on without delay...

* * *

**POV SHIFT**

* * *

As Ulreik ducked behind a bench, several arrows struck the wooden barricade. He and the other Humans that came to him with Ulboro managed to get into a building, and thus stopped the Monsters from surrounding them. A number of the creatures had begun attacking the Human men, but so far, Ulreik firing at them with his pistols had managed to make them fall back and not get any ideas of just rushing the building, which turned out to be a house. The man and his 'wife' who was a Succubus that lived there tried to fight back, but a quick whack from Ulboro with his hammer putting both into a coma had insured they were tied up together and tossed into their bedroom. As Lazarus and the members of Illias Kruez that were with him put up a makeshift barrier, he shouted something to Ulreik and Ulboro.

"Lazarus says that we're surrounded and stuck in here. Currently we only have to hold out for ten minutes." Ulboro translated.

"Only ten minutes? Sounds like our odds are good then." at that, one of the Humans was struck by a tentacle that broke through a gar and wrapped around his neck. He started to make choking noises, as two of his companions struggled to help him. Upon seeing how they were using their hands instead of their weapons, he shouted, "Oh for fucks sakes, no wonder you are struggling to fight back!" and then pulled out a knife. As they made room for Ulreik, who began to cut into the limb. The Monster it belonged to screamed in pain, and released the Human, who then gasped as he breathed in and coughed.

The tentacle that grabbed him then shot out of Ulreiks' hands, flinging him away and then slithering away as best as it could. As it went out, part it of got caught on one of the wooden boards, and a large tear formed as the Monster screamed again. Ulreik looked out the window after it finally escaped, and saw a small mob of the Monsters had gathered around the area.

He looked at Ulboro, and both realized they needed a miracle to get out alive with Lazarus and his men. As the Warrior-Priest got up, Ulboro readied himself to shoulder charge the door. Lazarus started to say something, only for the Sigmarite to respond back to him. As Ulreik raised an eyebrow, Ulboro pulled out his hammer.

"I'm about to show these men the might and glory Sigmar has bestowed upon me. Open the door in three... two... ONE!" at that Ulreik opened the door, and stepped away as the Sigmarite Warrior-Priest zoomed forwards, bowling over a Minotaur and trampling her as he ran forwards into the crowd of Monsters, glowing a bright white and holy light as he did so...

**POV SHIFT**

"What the hell is that?" A Centaur screamed, as a Human rushed out of the building glowing brightly. They could sense that he was using Light Magic of some kind, which enveloped him in an armor of some kind. Whenever any of the Monsters tried to grab him or hold him down, they would get shocked by the aura he was surrounded in.

"It's a half Angel! When did Illias Kruez get blessed with a half Angel?!" A Mantis Girl yelled, before the Human delivered a wild haymaker that sent her down on the ground. He also swung a two-handed hammer, crushing limbs and breaking bones whenever he struck. Every time he did, the Light energy he was using would explode from that area, often damaging the Monster struck and any next to her, as being creatures of Darkness, it was anathema to their presence.

"I am the Hammer of Sigmar!" he screamed at her, causing the Monster to panic and run. Unfortunately for her, he was faster, as his voice grew while shouting at her, "All who consort with Chaos will feel the wrath the Helden Hammer himself! For the Empire! FOR SIGMAR!" he screamed, delivering an extra powerful blow which struck the ground. It then created a shock wave, sending multiple monsters flying through the air as they were burned by it. The man then turned back, and saw the Monsters were afraid of him.

With a roar of anger, he launched a fireball with two tails at them, and the Monsters scattered, getting away from the magic projectile as it flew past them. After seeing they were gone, he met with the other Humans, who then ran off and into a sewer system to hide and run back to the headquarters of Illias Kruez, not noticing the Kitsune that watched them. As Tamano examined the wounded, she began to think to herself.

_Who is this God named Sigmar? I'll have to find answers to this at once, it may just be a central clue to what is happening to this world... _she then inspected the wounded Monsters. _Hmm, so they did not kill the Monsters at least, though given his actions this may be to both delay any who try to give chase, and split up those who want retaliate. Good thinking from them, but I'm not most Monsters. Now to learn of Sigmar na- _she then paused, and felt a presence similar to that which was created by the Warrior-Priest Ulboro, but stronger. When she turned around, it was to see what looked like a Human man.

He was dressed in a fur cloak of some kind, with his lower half covered in a thick loin cloth that covered his legs and was held at his waist with a belt buckle that had a skull, the kind the Imperials as they called themselves loved for a symbol for some reason. He had a on a breast plate as well, and stared at him with a face that bespoke of a warrior who had seen much. His hair was long and shaggy, and he wore a crown that glowed with holy power. He also wielded a hammer, similar in design to that the priest that attacked the Monsters down the street carried, but with more intricate designs.

"So, you must be Sigmar." Tamano said, hiding her mouth behind a fan. She was scowling, hiding a leaf in her mouth in case she needed it. "you don't seem like much for a God you know." her experience with how Illias reacts to things concerning the goddess taught her much, one of them being that gods do not like insulted at all. However, Sigmar simply smiled, as she heard a voice in her head, which Tamano assumed to be his.

_Do you really think you can bait me with that? _He asked. _Besides, you would know a thing or two about how looks can be deceiving, Tamano no Mae. _The Kitsunes eyes widen in shock. _Where I was created and born, the thoughts and feelings of all life cannot hide from the Gods, even those of the other Ancestor Lords._

"Wait, what about Illias? She could hear telepathic conversations and-"

_I'm not the only God the Imperials worship. In fact, I even have a friend who is even now ensuring this conversation stays between us. Because as it happens, much worse is in store for this world... for what could considered the Illias of my world is coming... and they seek nothing more then the complete consumption of both our worlds, and all life on them._


	11. Chapter 11

**Vermin Tide Quest**

* * *

Chapter 11

* * *

**Authors note:**

**("Any conversation in parentheses like this means whoever is speaking understands what the other is saying, even though bystanders don't.")**

* * *

As Tamano watched the Ubersreik Five move through the Plansect Forest, she went over the things Sigmar told her, which she was keeping secret lest they find out. The Kitsune stayed hidden for them. She noted the way they moved, with Keriallian at the front to scout ahead, Markus and Bardin in the middle, and Victor and Sienna at the back, the Witch Hunter as he was called having his sword drawn and the Fire Wizard ready to cast her spells. The Five kept to an efficient pace, staying in cover with the exception of the Wood Elf Waywatcher, who practically floated across the treetops without any of them disturbing the brush. Even so, the Heavenly Knight of the Earth was able to keep pace with them, observing them as they passed through.

For the most part, they stayed silent as well, and avoid contact with a number of the Plant and Insect Monsters in the Forest. When they found a group of the rat men they called Skaven however, they would immediately lay a trap for them, and ambush the Skaven when possible. Tamano herself stayed out of the way, listening in on their war cries.

"Burn foul beast!" Sienna screamed, as she released a beam of energy and swept it amongst several Skaven, which ignited wherever it struck them. The Kitsune scryed the Fire Wizard, and saw that there was a strange aura being channeled through the staff and into her and the Fire magic she was casting, which was similar to that of Salamander the Spirit of Fire. However, the main difference is that it had no will of its own, only existing solely as pure energy. This made the Kitsune uncomfortable, since that technically meant anything could use it, as Salamander could at least cancel a pact if her users turned on the Monsters, same with the other Spirits, limiting the damage Humans could do magically to her kind. This was clearly something different from the Spirits however, as Sienna eventually had to stop and allow the aura building up within her to be released into the environment in the form of steam, with Victor protecting her in the meantime from being surrounded by the Skaven horde screaming around them.

Tamano then noticed a Skaven, and realized it matched what was described by Erubetie and Alama-Elma when they were driven away by the Skaven in Sentora, only it carried a multi-barreled version of the fire-spears the Imperial Humans used on the Monsters, with a canister of some king mounted on his back from which green crystals were loaded in a belt and fed into the weapon. As it pointed it in Bardins direction, the Skavens weapon started to to rattle and spin. The Dwarf saw this and raised his shield and yelled. Admits loud whirring coming from the machine, he had to yell at the top of his lungs to be heard.

"RATTLING GUNNER!" he screamed, before a hail of the green shards flew at the dwarf, who ran for a rock while his shield took multiple hits, the Skaven shooting at him in the meanwhile laughing manically as he solely focused on the Dwarf, not caring about the multiple other Skaven that were cut down. Tamano felt sick, as she saw that the Gunner Skaven did not care about this fact, and was about to intervene when an arrow flew out and struck him in the head. The Skaven Gunner then flew atop of his machine, allowing the Ubersreik Five to regroup while they got their bearings.

All though the area, dead Skaven lined the forest road they fought on. After taking a brief look into their supplies and finishing off what Skaven were merely wounded, Markus turned to Victor, Tamanos ears perking as she listened in on their conversation.

"Should we move the bodies, make sure that no evidence is around of our passing?" he asked.

"No, we should move on. No doubt every thing heard that Gunner for miles around. We cannot waste any time here Kruber. Keriallian, shall we move on?" the Waywatcher walked up to one of the trees, and as she moved to place a hand on it, stopped upon seeing there were holes from a few stray shots from the Gunner. As she pulled out a knife and dug them out, Victor sighed in exasperation. "Now is not the time to worry about a trees health Waywatcher."

"And that attitude is why they speak to only me, mayfly." she retorted. Tamano noted how there seemed to be friction between the group as a whole, almost as though they only work together due to feeling as though they have no other alternative but doing so. After she got the last of the bullets out, she put both hands and an ear to it, clinging to it like a lover in Tamanos mind. After a second, she started to register as being one and the same with the tree in question, causing the Kitsune to narrow her eyes. When she became separate from it and backed up, she suddenly drew her bow and fired straight at Tamano, who caught the arrow on reflex, her eyes widening with shock. As she immediately performed a short-distance teleport, the Wood Elf Waywatcher cried out.

"We're being followed! A Kitsune had appeared and has been following us!" she yelled. As the group got together in a circle formation, they began looking around the trees.

_What in the hell just happened? _Tamano thought, before feeling something gripping her ankle. When she turned, it was to see a vine wrapped around it, and before she could react, Tamano was yanked out and yelped as the vine threw her out into the open from the tree canopy, before she wrapped herself into a ball with her tails and crashed in front of the Ubersreik Five, leaving a crater in the ground. When she peeked out from between two of them, it was to see Victor Saltzpyre pointing his crossbow at her, the one eyed Witch Hunter scowling as he inspected her.

"Uh... hi?" she said, pretending she couldn't just kill all Five of them on the spot, and also speaking in their language to get them to lower their guard. As she unwrapped herself and hid her mouth with her fan, Victor only pressed the crossbow rougher into her stomach.

"How do you know our language, what are you hiding in your mouth?" he demanded.

_Well shit, that backfired. _She thought, and lowered the fan to open her mouth, and tried to seduce him by sticking her tongue out sexually and going, "Aaahh." while staring at the Human lustfully. Victor stared unamused at her, his scowl getting even deeper, instead grabbing the leaf that was on her tongue in a gloved hand, and then tossing it away in disgust. Tamano blushed in embarrassment, while Kruber, Bardin, Sienna and Keriallian also stared in annoyance.

"Lets go, nothing to see here." Victor said, not even giving a glance backwards as he and his companions left Tamano there in the crater speechless. After making a scoffing scoffing sound, the Heavenly Knight of Earth turned around.

"So you're just going to leave a Kitsune wet and ready for you after taking her leaf?" she asked. Victor stopped, turned around, and stared. After glancing at the ground where her leaf went, he turned to her.

"What does the leaf signify in your culture?"

"That I was single and available for marriage." Tamano lied. She was trying to follow them to the Skaven base to destroy it, but after that failure to seduce their leader, she had to keep up the act. Now it was Victors turn to blush, as the others except Keriallian made fun of him. the Waywatcher stared suspiciously at Tamano, who simply returned her stare sheepishly.

"BAHAHAHAHA, you just committed heresy, Saltzpyre." Bardin yelled, laughing boisterously at him.

"How does it feel to become the very thing you swore to destroy Victor?" Sienna asked. Tamano did feel sorry for embarrassing him that way by manipulation, but she was improvising at this point to avoid a conflict. After sighing, Victor walked forward, while Tamano played the part of the nervous wife looking down as he approached. When she looked up however, she saw him turn and pull a leaf off another tree. As she stared in confusion, he then handed it to her. While she kept up the nervous wife, the Witch Hunter whispered to her in a tone that was of a sad lover.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not interested in starting a family, therefore I must divorce you. I hope you have in your heart to forgive me, and find true love." with that he left, with the group chortling more at the exchange.

"Saltzpyre, you should not have done that. Nothing has no fury quite like that of a woman scorned, especially one so straight forward as-"

"Shut your mouth Kruber! We shall speak no more of this!"

As they disappeared around the corner, Tamano screwed her mouth shut, and cursed under her breath. She never had been turned down so, and unlike what Victor thought would happen, it only made her Monster instincts go haywire, since they innately loved a struggle, at least when it was not painful for them... Time to wait for Luka and Alice with the Bell of Poseidon to calm down. As she bit a lip, both in anger and arousal, she teleported away.

* * *

**POV SHIFT**

* * *

As Victor grumbled under his breath, the other four noticed this. Sienna wrapped an arm around the Witch Hunter, who tensed once he felt her cling to him.

"Aw now, it can't be that bad." she said.

"She was playing an act. Before with her seduction, and when she lied about the leaf signifying marriage status in her culture."

"What, there were other customs back in the other Empire provinces Victor that we would find just as strange or humorous, why wouldn't it-"

"The Witch Hunter was right mayfly. Didn't you notice how he didn't immediately try to kill her after she touched him?" Keriallian asked. "Not to mention she was literally unharmed from falling at least fifty feet in the air." at that, the group went silent. Victor then proceeded to explain.

"The moment she and I had physical contact, I could almost _smell _the magic radiating from her, and that was just from when I grabbed the leaf from her tongue. It took a few seconds to set in, but as I stayed close to her, every fiber of my being was screaming that she was dangerous. I only played along with her act to avoid her attacking us altogether. Although she might've figured that out as well at the end." As the other let his words sink in, Markus and Bardin let out a synchronized whistling sound.

"Well then, thankfully she has left us alone to perform our work. Which way to the Skaven base?" she asked, gesturing to a fork in the road.

"Left. And we should get off the road, a Monster is running this way." the Waywatcher said. The Five went over and behind a rock face in a ditch, and could hear something crying out if fear. A buzzing sound passed by, and Markus and Bardin looked up to see a cross between a hornet and and a women flying overhead, carrying a wounded Monster that resembled a Caterpillar. Following the two, a Gutter Runner could be seen leaping from tree to tree, as it threw a bomb at her. The explosive detonated near the Hornet girl, causing her to fall and hit the ground. The Gutter Runner then jumped on top of her, and prepared to stab it when Victor ran up to the pair. Both looked over, and before the Skaven could react, Saltzpyre ran it through the heart with his rapier.

As the Hornet and Caterpillar girls recovered somewhat, the Witch Hunter wiped off the blade. "Keriallian, ask them if they know where the Skaven base is. That Gutter Runner wouldn't chase them so far without support unless they found something important to the Skaven invasion of this area." he said as the rest of the team emerged from their cover. Upon seeing the Wood Elf they began to panic again.

("You're the Kinsl-")

("Yes yes, I know I know, I'm a traitor to your people, etc. etc.") Kerillian said in their language, waving a hand as she sighed under breath. ("Now then, my acquaintances and I are more interested in stopping the Rat-Men operations in this area. While we would've preferred not getting involved in whatever is going on, our intelligence of what they have here limited to where they are located. If you mind telling me what they have built and so on, we'll let you go free, yes?") after looking at each other, both Monsters nodded.

("Well,") the Hornet replied, ("They have been building some kind of wheel with two spears attached to it, multiples in fact. We were sent to find out what they were and what they were planing on doing with them, but they sent that assassin after us after their leader, who wore a red suit of armor with a rack of skulls spotted us. He attacked and wounded me and my sister, and our friend, she, she had us leave while she fought him alone.") at that, the Hornet looked down, and then looked up again as the Caterpillar spoke next.

("They have a very weak barricade, which was set up very haphazardly. I got in through a hole in it, you can find it by one of the wheels. There is about several hundred however, so do you plan on fighting them all.") upon hearing that, the Wood Elf visibly smiled behind her bandanna.

("Heh, only a few hundred? My friends and I literally fought thousands of them almost daily. The Rat-Mens efforts collapse like a house of cards easy. The only hard part is you have to know where to hit. You can go now.") As the two Monsters went over to where the Ubersreik Five hid to recover in peace, Keriallian explained what they reported. "Are you going to finish them off now Mayflies?" she asked. After a brief second passed, Victor shook his head.

"No, for one they were useful. Two, killing them would likely draw further attention to us by the local Monsters here. We'll do so from here on out if they interfere with our efforts, or attack us first." at that the Wood Elf walked over to them.

("Hey, remember this; we're letting you go on the condition you say nothing of our encounter. Do so, and I _will_ hunt you down...") with that, she left the terrified Monsters there...

* * *

**POV SHIFT**

* * *

As Alice slept, she began to toss and turn, mumbling something to herself. Luka was watching with worry, as he awoke to her accidentally slapping him with her tail. He reached to the Lamia, and tried to touch her. However, he immediately felt something reach out and touch his hands. He proceeded to recoil at the sensation.

It was like he was grabbed by an invisible hand, clammy and cold as a corpse. "Alice? Are you alright?" he asked, then hit himself lightly on the forehead. "Damn it Luka, of course she isn't, why ask yourself this?" he muttered to himself. "In fact why are you even bothering with sticking with her, she has been a complete jerk to you."

**_"Yes, why stay with her?"_**Luka paused, realizing it was another voice. As he looked over at the Angel Halo, he saw it was still normal, at least for a sword that occasionally moaned when he grabbed its handle and was made from 666 melted Angels. When he looked away, the voice spoke again. _**"**__**Luka, listen to me little Hero." **_Luka looked back at the Angel Halo sword, and noticed one of the Angels that were a part of its design, which normally looked like she was screaming, was in fact staring at him directly.

"Who are you?" he asked. At this, the Angel figurine sighed, looked down and mumbled something for a second before looking at him.

_**"Isn't it obvious? I'm one of the Angels trapped and tortured within the Angel Halo sword. I am currently able to speak with you now, but I don't have much time. Right now, I am asking you why you are continuing to stay with Alice?"**_

"Well, she doesn't really have many options at the moment to get back to wherever she calls home." Luka said. "Besides, she has been-"

_**"Abusive to you, and treated you like some peasant slave."**_ The Angel interrupted.

_"Luka, why are you talking to Angel Halo?" _a faint voice whispered in the background. Luka turned around. Unseen by him, the Angels eyes glowed a faint angry red.

"What was that?" Luka asked, as he turned and saw Alice was still sleeping, tossing and turning.

_**"Ignore it Luka, it's nothing."**_

_"Luka, when did you start sleep walking and talking while dreaming?" _the voice said.

"No no, I recognize that voice." he said as his vision turned black, and then suddenly jumped awake, causing Alice who was holding on to him to jerk back as well. He then noticed he was indeed standing up, shirtless but still wearing pants. Luka looked around, confused as he muttered, "What in the world?" and then looked back to Alice. "What just happened?"

"I don't know. I just woke up and you were talking to Angel Halo like a weirdo." she explained. At the pained expression Luka made, she widened her eyes as her mouth opened in shock. "I, I'm sorry. I did not mean to upset you, it just worried me is all. Have you ever sleep walked before?" she asked.

"No, in fact I just forgot most of what I dreamed." Luka replied in response. After a second passed, he said, "Hey, Alice, has the Angels in the Angel Halo you gave me ever spoke to you or anybody that held it before?" Alice stared at him blankly.

"What kind of question is that? Of course not, the Angels it was made from lost the ability to speak when they were made into the Angel Halo. Mainly so that we didn't have to listen to them and their Illias worshiping nonsense." she said bluntly, earning a stare from Luka. "Hey, what is that look for? I stand by what I said about Illias."

"Nothing, my dream was nothing then. Illias did not even appear in it."

"Yeah, it was probably nothing, I didn't sense her in your head either." Alice said. "Either way, let's just go back to sleep, yes?"

"Sure." Luka said, climbing back into his sleeping bag. Alice, while she did lay down, did not close her eyes yet, instead looking at the Angel Halo sword. And she could've sworn that she saw it shiver, as though trying to tell her something. "Good night."

_Meh, probably trying to tap out an insult in Morse Code or something. _she muttered, and went back to sleep. As she did so, she heard a sound similar to a number of women weakly moaning 'nnoo.' and guessed she was right.

After some time passed, the Angel Halo sword made more groaning sounds, trying to wake up the two. After they both fell into dreaming again however, their shadows lengthened, taking forms that were different from the beings they were attached to. Lukas' resembled a creature with goat horns, and when it turned sideways the elongated maw and head could be plainly seen, which developed four red glowing eyes, which emitted pure hatred and rage. Alices' simply looked like a mass of limbs, constantly shifting as a blue and gold mouth formed, shifting through the many colors of the rainbow.

Both shadows made snarling sounds, before the one attached to Luka spoke first.

**"What, by the Blood Gods name happened, in her head?" **it growled in anger. **"You were supposed to keep her under until I got Luka to slice her throat."**

**"Back off, your not the one trying to keep a being descended from another being that can tear apart a Great Unclean One in half with its bare hands asleep." **Alices shadow retorted. **"Be thankful I kept her mind from sensing both of us you ungrateful saber rattler."**

**"You said you could handle it, pompous spell chucker. Now we have to wait to try again, as they might unconsciously be on alert for us to influence their dreams again until the morning sun rises."**

**"And I will handle it, just make sure the blood spills, while my deceptions veils the evidence of our role in the deed." **after that, that both looked at the loudly moaning Angel Halo. **"Silence from you."**Alices' shadow said, pointing a finger which zapped the Angel Halo sword. It let out a faint moan of pain, as both shadows went back to normal...


	12. Chapter 12

**Vermin Tide Quest**

* * *

Chapter 12

* * *

After the Ubersreik Five found the Skaven encampment within the Plansect Forest, Victor shared a telescope with Bardin, Markus, and Sienna as they inspected the camp grounds. Keriallian as an Elf had no need for it, and thus stood on one knee and looked around for anything that noticed them.

The base was more a scrap heap then anything else, as was the manner of Skaven construction 'techniques,' with a fence that was mostly made of a mishmash of roughly shaped wooden planks wrapped in whatever the Skaven could find to bind them together. When Keriallian ducked down into laying prone, the others saw that there was a Jezzail on a plank, scanning the terrain with the long musket-like weapon, resting it on a barricade on the top of a tower that looked like a soft breeze could blow it down. So far, the Skaven sniper hadn't thought to look down towards the hill, but seemed more focused on the area between it and the base, which had a number of tree stumps. The Wood Elf muttered something in her peoples tongue, causing Bardin to look at her.

"Feeling like keeping a Book of Grudges for your own personal use, Wutelgi?" the Dwarf Ranger asked. The Waywatcher glanced at him in annoyance, then sighed.

"I'm gonna kill every Rat within a five mile radius before I am done here for this desecration, and every Monster living in this forest I set my eyes on for letting this happen." she growled. As the others looked at her, Bardin continued speaking while Victor backed up, slowly drawing his crossbow.

"Are you sure you are up to this? The last thing we need is to be is being chased by everything in a hundred mile radius now." Keriallain let out an animalistic snarl, before recomposing herself.

"Just getting it out of my system mayfly." Bardin stared blankly at the sudden mood shift, then turned back to Victor, the Witch Hunter eyeing her suspiciously as he somewhat lowered the crossbow. The Wood Elf rolled and looked at him, returning the stare with an intense one of her own. "Don't think I can't tell what you are thinking Saltzpyre. I may not know magic to the degree of a Druid, but it is not needed to know what you Humans are thinking of." with that she rolled back into position, then got out her bow. "The hole the Insect girls told us about is over there." she said pointing Markus who was looking through the telescope at the gap in question.

"Alright then, on to burn down the Skaven base, and kill anything with beady red eyes." Sienna said. Keriallian however, stopped her from moving forward.

"No, we need to kill that sniper first. I can make the mark with my bow from here, but it'll give away our surprise. I can sneak in to kill it and the guards that will be patrolling nearby, and even set some traps to destroy the Skaven works. Victor, what do you think?" the Wood Elf said. Victor made a humming sound as he thought, hand under his chin.

"It could work. However, to insure success with all five of us taking the base out permanently, we'll need to set up an ambush to kill them." upon hearing a shuffling sound behind them, the Ubersreik Five turned around and readied their weapons. A Plant Monster which looked like a woman with a giant mushroom umbrella. She paused upon seeing them, and started to speak.

("Oh, well well, what do we-")

("Shut your mouth and go back wherever you came from.") Keriallian snapped, interrupting the Monster. She stared shocked, then narrowed her eyes. Then she smiled sadistically.

("Oh if it isn't the Kinslayer herself. Girls, why don't we-") she was immediately shushed again, this time by the whole group.

"Shut up wench. We don't have time for your bullshit." Victor muttered, his voice just slightly lowered from its normal gravelly tone.

("Um, what did he say?") the Monster said, twirling her 'umbrella' with a faintly angry look hidden behind her subdued smile.

("He's saying get out here, if you still want to... live...") Keriallians voice trailed off as several other Plants emerged. ("...Those Insects told you didn't they?")

("Insects? We never met any that we didn't devour for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, right gals?") the Monster with the giant mushroom said, turning to her companions, who gave affirmative replies. The Waywatcher sighed, and face palmed.

("Never mind, you would've killed them anyway. Now get out of here, we're fairly busy at the moment.") Bardin then muttered something in his own peoples language.

"Screw this." he then drew his ax and shield, taking a defensive stance. "Come at us then!" he challenged, just raising his voice a bit more so it was just under a shout. The Monsters seemed to get the gist of his taunt, as they moved forwards.

"Oh for the love of- BURN!" Sienna snarled, setting the first three alight with her power over the Wind of Fire, creating a glyph underneath them which she shot up a column of flame, incinerating the Plants into ash as they screamed. The others stopped, now hesitant while the others prepared for combat. The lead Plant, the mushroom themed one then grew visibly angry.

("You actually dare to murder-") she was then interrupted by the sound of a bell ringing, deep and loud as the sound echoed throughout the Plansect Forest. As it rang, the Monsters looked past the group before them, noticing it came from the direction of the Skaven base.

_DONG...DONG...DONG..._

Victor Saltzpyre cringed, and snarled angrily as he peered over the hill at the base, a Monster that looked to made up half out of tube-like vines walking confidently up to gaze upon the Skaven encampment.

("Huh, that's odd-") she was interrupted as a projectile suddenly flew out and struck her in the left shoulder, a green trail leading to the Skaven base coming from the lookout tower while the ground at the top of the hill that got hit exploded. Upon contact, her upper left torso was practically blown into a mist made of a yellow sap-like substance splattering the Witch Hunter, who pressed harder down into the ground, crawling back down out of sight as the Monster fell over and screamed in pain, her wailing loud and high-pitched. Her sisters went into a state of shock, and one even ducked as the projectile wished over her head.

("BY THE PRIMAL ALICE! WHAT WAS THAT?!") another similar looking Monster shrieked. The Ubersreik Five ran past them, while they went to aide their comrade.

("THAT IS KARMA COMING TO BITE YOUR COLLECTIVE ASS!") Keriallian yelled, disappearing into the brush first, followed closely by the others. As the lead Monster turned around, she saw her sister Monster was still and quiet. The other Plant that tried to tend to her looked up, and shook her head. Now angry at what happened, she turned to the hill, and prepared for battle along with the other Monsters as they heard a loud chittering and screeching growing louder.

As the Ubersreik Five ran, they ignored the horrified screams and squealing noises of the Skaven that were behind them. "Go! GO!" Victor screamed, pointing at the roadside. When a patrol of eight Storm Vermin ran around the corner, the front four was killed with a lobbed bomb by Markus, and the other four were maimed significantly that a volley of ranged shots finished them off, leaving the Skaven killed before they had a chance to react. As they ran through the woods, the sounds of battle faded away, the Five taking the chance to flee before they were overwhelmed...

* * *

**POV SHIFT**

* * *

As Luka and Alice walked into the cave which was said to hold Poseidons Bell, the Lamia turned to Luka, who examined the cave before him. They had been sidetracked by having to deal with the Skaven, sealing a considerable number of them. Alice noted as well that he had improved considerably, the combat experience along with the way he copied the movements Markus made when fighting groups of the foul beasts with his great sword with Luka watching during the battle causing him to jump up both in his somewhat below average technique, and in power.

For example when he was attacked by Monsters, he more readily kept his distance, striking at his opponents when they closed the distance, dodging and blocking more effectively, so on and so forth. When he fought the Skaven in groups, he even learned how to do what Markus did and swing his sword in wide circles while moving quickly around an area of ground when encircled. When he first did this, it looked just like when he just randomly swiped at his opponent, until she noticed the Skaven were kept away from him, and when one tried to sneak up on him, Luka slashed it, sealing it with the Angel Halo. It took a few hours into the day, but Luka managed to root out at least most of the Skaven, but they had to move on. He since then showed a much faster learning curve at that point, his martial skill improving considerably.

Even so, Alice felt something was off, and watched the Human closely. The Monster Lord noted he seemed to have developed anger issues, but so far kept it to himself. Angel Halo also seemed off, as it had been continuously moaning, as though trying to form coherent words. It normally would've been ignored usually, but the Halo was never this active and loud before. It didn't help that this seemed to coincide with his weird dream last night about the Angel Halo apparently talking to him. Alice began to also notice something was wrong with her magic, which was feeling as though a fog was put over her mind. She ignored it however, as only a Monster would try something like that, and given the general weakness of the Monsters around here, well... they would know better then to try that.

As Luka entered the cave, Alice followed behind him, watching him closely. When he ran into a Meda and a two-tailed Kitsune, nothing remarkable happened. However, upon hearing a cry for help shorty after dealing with the Meda and realizing it was the Kitsune from earlier, Luka growled in annoyance. As she looked at him, Luka suddenly ran headlong towards the scream, and Alice could swear as she looked at his shadow, it was altered to look like a Demon of some kind, causing Alice to realize something was wrong with the Human boy. "Hey, wait!" she cried out with an outstretched arm, but he didn't listen, disappearing into the darkness. After sighing, she waited for a bit, and used her enhanced eyesight to watch the battle from afar, as well as listen in with her hear. Luka was facing off against a Spider girl, who was wrapping up her fellow Monster in her silk. Luka then charged towards them both, to which the Spider turned and sniffed the air. Upon spotting the Human male, she smiled evilly.

"Ara ara, what do we have here? Looks like a juicy male, if you want, I'll happily drain you dry.~" she said, then the area between him and the Monsters was distorted for a split-second, followed by Luka appearing in the air in front of the Spider girl. With the Angel Halo raised, he let out a blood-curdling scream while bringing it down that echoed out to Alice, who flinched at the sheer rage she felt in it. The Spider girl dodged the sword slash, which ripped threw the webbing she made. The other girl was being wrapped up fell to the ground, and made a grunting sound as she fell and hit the ground. Luka stood between the two, snarling heavily as he breathed, as Alice rushed in to intervene before things got bloody. "What the hell was that Human?!" the Spider yelled, and when Luka turned and glared at her, she froze up in fear. "What in the hell is wrong with you?"

The Spider, like Alice could see farther and hear better then Humans, and thus was confused and scared by what she saw in the dark tunnel she was fighting Luka in. The boys' eyes had shifted to a glowing orange-red tint where his pupils were, and were bloodshot, from which he gazed at her with a frenzied look of anger. As he pulled up the Angel Halo from the ground, a gash was left where it impacted, which made the Spider girl shudder. The two-tailed Kitsune from earlier was also backing away with what limited movement she could muster, and when Luka gazed at her, she began to panic.

"LUKA! WHAT HAS GOTTEN INTO YOU!" Alice yelled, drawing his attention. Alice then paused, as she scryed his soul. Upon sensing a second entity within, she developed a confused look, before suddenly Luka flew at her. Alice raised a barrier in a mere fraction of a second, realizing something was controlling him in some fashion, but then something weakened the magic shield she created with a spell of her, and Luka plowed right through it.. _What the hell, there's no way... _Alice thought, catching the Angel Halo with her hands clapped together in a manner similar to that of praying, the blade part of it stopping just short of cutting her face. It then let out a moan, and Alice felt a small part of the swords Light Energy, which fueled its potent sealing powers being channel into her body. However, instead of injuring her like it should've, it was focused on whatever was tampering with Alices' abilities.

_**GGEEERRAAGH! **_Something screamed from inside her head, causing Alice to wince. The Angel Halo began channel more of its power, causing it to scream out even louder. Luka, or the thing causing him to attack pulled the sword back, but it was too late as the creature in Alice jumped out screaming. It looked like a pink maw with legs, with a constantly shifting amount of limbs going in and out of its body. Scars lined its body, and it turned and screamed at its companion inside of the now enraged Human.

"**_GGAAAHH! FOOL, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?! YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO STICK TO THE PLAN!"_ **it screamed in rage. Alice turned to the Spider girl and Kitsune, freeing the latter with a quick strike from her tail to her cocoon.

"Go! Get out of here!" she screamed, to which the Kitsune ran deeper into the cave, to which Luka turned, and with a snarl started chasing after her, while the Spider Girl crawled on the wall and ceiling out towards the exit, screaming. The pink creature saw Luka running away and screamed at him.

"_**NO! Get back here at once!"**_

"Save it you little bastard!" Alice said, as her eyes began to glow. The thing, now seeing what was about to happen, readied its defenses. Alice then proceed to cast Frost Ozma, creating a giant ice block that flew at her enemy. It responded by phasing through the block, and threw out a fire ball that shifted through the various colors of the rainbow. Alice proceed to deflect it, with her left hand, and punched the creature with her right, her fist upper-cutting into its lower jaw, and the beast was shot into the ceiling, leaving a gaping hole as it was propelled out of the mountain the Treasure Cave was built into.

Upon hearing a crackling, Alice turned and saw that the spot of the wall that was struck by the weird fire-ball spell was growing an apple tree of some kind. Finding it odd, Alice decided to try one later, focused now on rescuing the Kitsune first.

* * *

**POV SHIFT**

* * *

As Tamano and Nanabi were sitting back and playing a game of cards, the two were discussing the recent events that have happened. As she drew a card, Nanabi spoke.

"So, apparently these foreign Humans have some kind of hate-boner for the Rat-Men running around, bigger then the ones Humans on this world have. If what you said is true, they also happened to be called 'Skaven' in their language." Nanabi said. "Do we know anything about their views on us? I find the world Alma Elma described after linking into the mind of one of them highly unlikely."

"Nanabi, what is most unlikely about it?"

"The sheer idea that these Humans fight stuff that would make us run in fright, and win. Hell, the Slimes aren't dieing out because of being hunted by Humans, but because of _pollution._ In what world, would a nation of Humans like what Elma Alma described can even stand a chance in-"

"KKKKYYYYAAAAA!" at the sound of the scream that came from outside, both Kitsune stopped what their game and conversation, recognizing it as belonging to the two-wailed one they brought with them. "NANABI! TAMANO! HEELP!" Both of them got up and left the room with Poseidons Bell, and both Kitsune readied for battle with whatever was chasing her. However, upon sensing what was chasing the two-tails, their fur practically stood on end, sensing rage coming from it, but not like that of the Element of Fire.

It was pure, bloodthirsty rage, a need to rip and tear through what enemies stood before ones goal, to crush their bones, and spill their blood on the ground until it painted the ground in macabre layer of crimson fluid. When the two-tail Kitsune leaped from the shadows, she was practically blubbering in fear.

"What is it?" Nanabi whispered, paling at what she was feeling. Up ahead, they could sense the Mimic up ahead feel fear, hiding in her chest as the thing, no, _things _passed by.

"It's a Human male, but something using him like a puppet." at that Tamanos ears twitched, and her tails and mouth shuffled uncomfortably. Nanabi looked at her as she spoke, now concerned since this was apparently dangerous enough to get the normally laid back Heavenly Knight of the Earth to go on the alert.

"Shit. If what a friend of mine that happened to be from the other world told me what to look out for is correct, we got a bigger problem then just a mere Human heading our way."

_Tamano? Are you there? _Alices voice asked in the Kitsune in questions head.

_Yeah, I hear ya... Luka is the source of angry incoherent yelling and rage coming at me and Nanabi isn't it? _Tamano replied.

_Yes, so far he has ignoring me entirely, at least whatever is controlling him. I should warn you, he got a hell of a lot better from facing off against the Skaven on the way here, and he went berserk after a Kitsune that attacked him ran off and got captured. _Alice then explained her encounter with a second creature that was apparently inside her, and that they were supposed to work together to some goal. _However, it seems the angry as hell beast inside Luka got tired of not killing anything, and thus went rogue. I managed to take out the creature with Angel Halos' help-_

_Wait, what?! You got hit with it?!_

_No, I stopped it without the Angel Halo cutting me, then it pulled the other creature out of me and after wards I punched it into the ocean._

_What did it look like? _Tamano asked.

_A pink ball with a face that was constantly growing and shrinking limbs from its body._

_Do not, I repeat, DO NOT eat anything made by it, even if it looks like food._

_Even if it was apples?_

_...You didn't._

_No. But it made an apple tree that looked absolutely delicious._

_I said no, and that's final!_

_Aaaawww!_

_Gals, how about we focus on the Human running at Mach 5 towards us, then have this conversation later, yes? _Nanabi interrupted, snapping both of the Monsters into reality. While it seemed longer, the telepathic conversation lasted but a few seconds, allowing Tamano to get a good look at Luka as he suddenly stopped just short of the light penetrating the hallway in, leaving him semi-illuminated. Tamano and the Kitsune with her tensed up, as he breathed in, and then out for several seconds.

"Let's get it out of him now, while they're both tired!" Nanabi said, before Tamano blocked her with her fan.

"No, we know nothing about these creatures, but they might know everything about us." she said. After a deep and distorted chuckle erupted from where Luka was, as his hand gripping the Angel Halo tightened. The sword moaned loudly in response, which sound agonized and in pain. Tamano winced, imagining how much it must hurt the Angels inside. 'Luka' spoke, and they heard a voice that definitely was not Human or Monster. It carried a callous and hateful tone to it, and the sheer contempt in its voice alone made Illias Kruez members seemed reasonable.

"_**You made the right choice to stop her, but it's not going to matter, Material Witches." **_he said, as he stepped into the room. When he did, the Monsters cringed internally, every fiber of their being screaming to stay away from him. So far he didn't exhibit any outward change, but it was clear that this being that was playing puppeteer with him was merciless and cruel, reminding Tamano of Black Alice. As it pointed at Nanabi, 'Luka' snarled **_"You'll make a fine sacrifice to my master..."_**

"Who are you, and what do you mean sacrifice?" Nanabi demanded. "And get out of that Human if you know what's good for you."

"_**No, I think not. After a brief conversation concerning your kind, he doesn't want me to anyway. Not that it would matter anyway if he did, he is **_**mine ****_now."_** Suddenly, 'Luka' appeared in front of Nanabi, and began slashing at her with the Angel Halo. He landed a cut on the Kitsunes raised arm, which then bled profusely as she backed up and made a high-pitched yipping sound as Tamano turned, the result of several more attacks cutting into her body, forming a rune of some kind on her body.

_What was that? Some kind of teleportation? _Tamano thought, then scryed it further for more details as it turned to her. Along with an intensified feeling of the unholy amount of anger and hate being felt by the Kitsune when they first gazed at it, Tamano started to notice a distortion effect around 'Luka,' which formed into the creature mentally manipulating the Human boy. Tamano was repulsed by its appearance, which looked like a dark crimson Demonic man with an elongated skull, with two overly large horns up until the waist, which she couldn't see. With a fanged filled maw that looked like it was going to bite off the tongue constantly drooling out of it, the creature yelled at Tamano.

"_**You think I don't know what you are doing? Knowledge won't save you now!" **_It screamed, before 'Luka' raised Angel Halo, and tried to bring it down on Nanabi. The Kitsune dodged the attack, then punched the Human in the stomach, sending him flying back. As 'Luka' recovered and turned to her, Nanabis' eyes suddenly glowed, as she used Hypnotic Eyes on the Human.

"Got him!" Nanabi cried out with a smile, as 'Luka' froze. She then strutted confidently to hypnotized Human, her seven tails swishing sensually. "Now then, will you get out of the Human?" 'Luka' twitched an arm at that, causing the Kitsune to stop for a second, her fox ear perking up. He then twitched some more, causing Nanabi to back up, and turn to Tamano and ask, "Is this something you've seen before?"

"No." the Heavenly Knight of Earth said. Alice then entered the room, the Sixteenth Fateburn turning and seeing the Human boy in an almost catatonic state.

"What happened?" she asked. Suddenly Luka arched over, and began to scream as his ring glowed. The Monsters cringed at the sudden outburst, as he then threw the Angel Halo violently at Nanabi, who screamed as it tore at the side of her lower fox half, leaving a bloody wound as it then stuck into the stone door leading to Poseidons Bell, causing deep cracks to form. Luka grabbed at his head as she fell over with Tamano catching her, and he started to shriek as he fell to his knees, the high-pitch noise making the Monsters cover their ears. The noise level in and of itself was beyond what a Human should be capable of producing with their vocal cords, and they could feel the room shake, and his keepsake ring from his mother began to glow, unleashing a large amount of Light Magic which began pouring into him.

_What in the world is happening?! _Alice thought. Luka then fell over on the ground and curled up on the ground position, and he finally stopped screaming. He then started to breathe heavily, as the creature material in the same manner, but where Angel Halo exorcising the creature that tried to restrain Alice was like a surgeon, pulling it out of her without causing too much pain, the one inside Luka came out like a battering ram hitting a castle door, and ripped through the Enrikan Shirt he wore like paper as it shot out of his back. It then slammed into the ceiling of the room they were in, which finally cracked, and the damage began to spread as it landed on the ground. When a chunk of rock broke off and was about to fall on Luka, the Monsters felt an otherworldly presence somehow deflect it away from him, and instead crushed the beast that came out of him, which then disappeared soon after.

"What just happened?" Alice said. Tamano, lifting Nanabi as best as she could, replied.

"I don't know, but right now we need to get out of here, _now_!" she screamed. "Get Luka and the Angel Halo, and follow me out of here!" the Kitsune added, gesturing with her head to the now unconscious Human.

"But the Bell!"

"Too big, and there's not enough time! I'll try to dig it up after we leave!" Tamano replied.

With that, Alice dashed and grabbed the Angel Halo, which whimpered, then turned and sped towards Luka. Stopping to not break the unconscious Humans body on accident, she then sped up gradually, resisting the temptation to look back at the crashing sounds she heard behind her. Quickly casting a very short-distance teleport, she got out of the collapsing room and out into the open plains. The various Monsters within it were found already leaving it, having been scared out by Luka when he screamed before passing out. As rumbling sounds could be heard, the Mimic came out just in time before the cave entrance collapsed, flying out and landing on the grass. When the chest opened up, the Monster inside peered out, only to shoot back in.

"Ack! Light!" she screamed from inside. Alice looked over at the cave, then breathed a sigh of relief as she set Luka down on the ground, and then laid the Angel Halo down next to him, which cooed in what sounded like gratitude. As several Monsters started to get close to him, Alice glared at them, making her subjects back off instead.

"How is Nanabi?" she then asked, as Tamano looked at her follower, while the other one with two tails could be seen standing nervously behind her. Tamano inspected her wounds, and turned to Alice.

"She'll survive, but Nanabi is gonna but bedridden for months at least." as the Kitsune looked back however, she suddenly frowned deeply. "Wait, something is wrong, she is bleeding internally way too much."

"What?" Alice asked.

"Her body, it's dieing." Tamanos eyes widen. "She shouldn't be!" the Heavenly Knight yelled out. She began to use a strong healing spell. Alice scryed Nanabis' body, and held up a mouth, with the other Monsters having similar reactions when they started to notice bruising underneath the seven-tailed Kitsunes fur. As Alice gazed upon Nanabi, Tamano yelled "Alice help me!"

Her circulatory system was practically destroyed, and massive hemorrhaging was occurring in most of her internal organs. Alice also began to cast the same spell to amplify its effects, but the bleeding would not stop. They were able to slow it to a crawl, but the wounds seemed to almost _refuse _to heal. As they watched on, many of the Monsters, including Tamano and Alice then noticed something was off as they felt the same distorting effect the creatures possessing Luka and Alice had on Nanabi. When they both turned to the source, they found it was coming from the rune carved on her where her human halves' stomach was. It was pulsating a red glow, matching that of her heartbeat. When they saw it was also drawing in her innate Darkness magic, and thus causing the bleeding, dread sunk into their

"_**I said she would make a fine sacrifice to my master." **_echoed in the minds of the Monsters there, and Tamano froze in shock, feeling it was the red beast from before. The lapse in concentration caused her spell to collapse, and the sudden lack of resistance causing deep and massive gouges to erupt from her subordinates flesh, causing blood to spray out as Nanabi coughed out a blob of the red fluid onto the ground.

"NO! NONONONO!" Tamano cried out, but it was too late, as the seven-tailed Kitsune suddenly erupted into a fountain of blood, making the Monster scream and panic as Alice wrapped around Luka cried him and the Angel Halo away from. The voice of the red beast burst out laughing. As the rain of blood stopped, it cried out with a thunderous voice.

"_**BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD! SKULLS FOR THE SKULL THRONE! LET THE WORLD BURN IN HIS NAME! I MAY BE OBLITERATED FOR MY FAILURE, BUT I'M NOT LEAVING WITHOUT HER SOUL! KNOW SHE IS GOING TO SUFFER FOR ETERNITY, AND DESPAIR, FOR ALL WILL BOW BEFORE THE SKULL THRONE OF KHORNE OR SUFFER THE SAME FATE!"**_ it screamed, before fading away, laughing maniacally as Tamano and the other Monsters stared in stunned horror at what happened. The Kitsune then looked at her hands, covered in Nanabis blood, and tears started to flow. Then a portal opened, and Nanabis' ghost crawled out of it, screaming and panicking as tendrils of hateful and angry red and orange were grabbing onto her.

* * *

**POV SHIFT**

* * *

As Arnold and Leopold were just starting to leave the castle on horseback, Leopold suddenly gripped his head and leaned on the doorway. Arnold turned and caught him, righting the Priest of Morrs before he slipped. As the two horses stopped, Arnold signed to Leopold.

_What has happened? _he asked. Leopold, looking at the Black Guard, sighed.

"I have just got a vision my friend. It is of a soul of great and terrible power that has just passed. Morrs has shown me that a Daemon killed it, and is dragging it into the Realm of Chaos. However, this soul is strong enough that it is fighting back, giving us time to perform the ritual. It is imperative we find their body, or what remains of it, and perform a funeral so that it is denied it's prize at once before that happens, as even now the soul is losing the fight."

_But we cannot just stopping chasing the Vampire, especially when we've just begun the hunt._

"True, but we are not stopping, merely being delayed. And Morrs commandments also includes that I am never to refuse performing the funeral rites." Leopold replied, as he looked into his backpack, and examined the contents within. "Hmm, wrappings, check. Incense, check. Coins, check. Bag for... ah, that is what I was missing. Arnold, did you perhaps have that spare, ah yes that. Thank you." Leopold said, upon being handed a leather pouch that jangled was laden with Imperial coinage until Arnold emptied it into a pocket. It was then that a two-tailed Kitsune appeared, looked at the two Humans, and visibly paled as she stared at them. An adult one, with tears streaking her eyes and with nine tails then stepped through.

"Help... me..." she chocked out between sobs, and the two Morrlites looked at each other. When a group of Spear men started to attack, Leopold held an arm up.

"Stop. they would've brought more if it was an attack." Leopold said. The soldiers stared flabbergasted at the thought, before a glance from Arnold made them back off. "I suppose you are the relatives," he said to the Kitsune, who stood in shock. "The God of the Dead told me everything I need to know. Arnold, we are off." with that, the two had their horses go through the portals, the Kitsune following them. Gelt watched from above through a glass window, and rubbed at his golden mask.

"Oh for the love of Sigmar." he muttered. He was going to come up with a way to reprimand them for this.

When Arnold and Leopold came through with the Kitsune, the Priest immediately saw the body, still fresh and bloody, and the Kitsune soul fighting to stay in the mortal plane. Dismounting with a sigh, he walked over to the confrontation between the ghost and Daemon, pulling the bag Arnold gave him. Arnold himself got off his own horse, the only sounds he made from the initial drop when he landed feet first and then tapped his helmet visor closed. While the other Monsters started to get into an uproar over the appearance of the two, they ignored them, for the living were not their concern. When the Daemon, a Khornate one it seems by the method of brutal killing that could be seen on the corpse saw him, it snarled in rage. Noting, that for some reason the Warp Rift was somehow not showing the usual doom and gloom that drive one insane, Leopold spoke.

"You will be going to your masters empty-handed Daemon. I am here to see to that." he said.

_**"Begone Morrlite worshiper. You know what these things do to Humans, how they hunt your kind, and torment them, keeping them as little more then essence banks to feed on them like parasites. That is what they are, existing only because your race is the only thing that sustains their pathetic and lowly existence, little better then your worlds' Skaven, enforcing their will upon those that they capture and drag away! I guarantee that you would more then willing to let one soul go." **_Leopold, while his face was hidden, looked at Arnold and the crowd of Monsters, who apparently understood what it said, with a look that could've said everything he thought about that speech. As the Black Guard pulled out his great sword, Leopold gave his reply.

"Shut up and go back to the Warp. I have to soul to break free, and Arnold has something that he likely wishes to say to you." the Priest said, casting the Soul Jar spell on the Kitsune Spirit upon opening the bag. As Leopold quickly closed it, he suddenly fell over, as it was heavy for some reason. Arnold quickly attacked the now screaming Daemon, stabbing it in the face as it materialized into reality, holy script on it glowing as the Bloodthirster was slain, not given the chance to ready for a second fight. As one of the Monsters, who was half-snake lifted the bag up and allowing him to stand while the portal closed. "Thank you. Now to begin the funeral. Arnold, get the shovels."

When Leopold felt something tug at his robe, the Priest turned to see the two-tailed Kitsune point at an already dug grave, along with a pile of dirt, and a coffin. When he looked at Arnold, the Knight just stared through his helmet, and turned as a Monster began to approach him. It began to chatter at him, and Arnold only looked back at it, before producing a holy book with the Cult of Morrs' symbol embossed on it, and reading it as he sat down. As the Monster muttered something, and went away, the child Kitsune spoke up.

"Why... why he no talk?"

"Vow of silence." with that, Leopold walked over to the dead Kitsune, and gathered up what he could of its remains to prepare for burial.


	13. Chapter 13

**Vermin Tide Quest**

* * *

Chapter 13

* * *

As Leopold wrapped the final bits of cloth around the dead Kitsunes' head, he heard a shuffling sound. The Priest turned around to see that it was the half-snake Monster with purple skin (Which the Kitsune named Tamano said was a Lamia when he asked about her,) who had up until now seemed to mostly stay away from him. Well, it was more specifically the bag he used to keep the spirit of the deceased contained for their own safety. She had stood watch over the boy who was comatose and the oddly designed sword he was keeping with him. The Monsters that were in the collapsed cave had wandered off at this point, with the other two Kitsune could be seen off at the beach somewhere. Occasionally a Monster would try to attack the two Humans, but Arnold was more then able to drive them off. When Leopold realized the boy was gone, he then saw he was being being carried by the creatures' tail, and she happened to have that cursed-looking sword of his by her side.

When the Knight in question looked and heard her slithering closer, his grip tightened slightly on instinct around his great sword at noticing her approach. She stopped and stared back at the Black Guard, as an unease grew between the two. Finally Arnold looked away, seeming to begrudgingly trust she was not going to try anything. Leopold then proceeded to light some incense on the censor he hung and began to pray. While the body of the deceased would've been embalmed, the death of the Kitsune at the Bloodthirsters' hand was brutal to the point that all bodily fluids were expelled, not just her blood. As a result, all he needed to do in preparation was drying off what splattered back onto her body with special burial salts, and now lifted it up with some help from Arnold into the casket.

"Why are you willing to do this for us?" Leopold turned back to the Lamia, and realized she was the one who had spoken. "Why would you go through the trouble of burying your enemies?" she asked again in Reikspiel.

_By Morr and Sigmar, these Monsters are like even more dysfunctional Wood Elves. _Leopold thought. "Well, you saw what happened when your friend... passed away," he said carefully, as he could see within the Wind of Magic flowing in her body. It resembled Dhar, yet he sensed it was not the Black Wind of Dark Magic. At least, not the Dark Magic of his world, and the sheer amount flowing in her veins caused him to get goosebumps. "In our world, Daemons like the one that attacked you and your companion are a blight of corruption that thrives off of causing death and destruction to all mortal life, so they may reap their souls for their own consumption and pleasure, and live in what is known as the Realm of Chaos." At that, the creature seemed to perk her ear slightly, as though recalling a memory. "Where the Daemons of Chaos and those mortals who follow them for reasons of their own, mutation, terror, and death follow, and the corruption of just one soul in a village is enough to start a chain reaction that can cause entire cities to burn as others follow, until-" it was then he suddenly looked around, and stood up as a feeling of being watched with a thousand, thousand eyes. He then realized he spoke too much about Chaos, and drawn its attention.

The Lamia also felt it too, and started to hyperventilate. Arnold looked up, likely only experiencing the hair on the back of his neck standing up.

"What is happening?" she said, her voice shuddering at the sensation. Leopold also noticed the boy seemed to quiver, shaking from the presence of the Daemons that were drawn by the conversation.

"I spoke too much about... them. Let us move on." Leopold stated, getting back to his work, though he had to pause to stop the small tremor that caused his hand to shake while reaching for what remained of the cloth roll. Off in the distance, Tamano could be seen looking around as well, ears pointed forwards as she scanned the area the Priest of Morr, his bodyguard, and the Lamia were at. Given what little he knew, he did know it was possible even from this great a distance she could listen in as well. "Once I bury her body, her soul may be put at ease, allowing my patron God Morr to bring her to his Garden."

"Morr is a _male _God?" the Lamia asked. When both Leopold and Arnold sighed audibly, Leopold turned to the Lamia. "Yeah, the only Gods I knew of until your people came here were female. Now, you were saying about his Garden?"

"It is the closet thing to paradise, but is not quite that. He is God of the Dead for Humanity, whose influence also covers illusions, dreams, and is the bulwark in the afterlife that protects the soul and the dream from the influence of them. Speaking of which, your friend here, he is in need of him." Leopold said, pointing at the boy. As the Lamia looked at him, she then noticed that the sword also seemed to shudder at seeing what was happening. As Leopold examined the boy, he placed a hand on his forehead. "What is his name?" he asked, retracting his palm from the cold and sweaty skin, wiping it off on his robes.

"Luka." the Lamia replied. "What are they doing to him?" she asked, hovering over Leopolds' shoulder as he started to rummage through the backpack. Tamano and the child Kitsune also came over as well, interested in what was happening. Suddenly Leopold stopped, and turned to look over to his side where he left the bag containing the Kitsune soul. His heart dropped and his skin turned pale, though the latter was not noticeable underneath his hood. His voice however took on a panicked tone, which was clear as crystal. The Monsters and Arnold realized why he tensed up, and similar reactions, because aforementioned soul bag was gone.

"The bag! Where is it?" he muttered, looking around until seeing a moving pink Daemon that could only be one of Tzeentchs minions dragging it to the ocean, strangely bruised, broken, and bloody. While the Monsters followed his gaze, he pointed at it, not questioning how it pulled off the progress it made. "THERE!" He yelled. And the Monster turned into blurs as they rushed it down. The Daemon saw this, and for the first time in Leopolds' life, he saw what a Daemon of Chaos looked like when they learned what it means to truly feel fear, the kind that they enjoyed provoking in their victims... and then the screaming started as it was torn apart.

Arnold walked up next to Leopold, and watched the Monsters banish the terrified and panicking Daemon. When the two Monsters inspected the bag, they then brought it back, setting it back down as sigh of relief was breathed out by the two Morrlites.

"Uuuhh..." Luka groaned, and Leopold turned to see his fellow Human had a grimace. Leopold then examined him further, and realized that the Daemons of Chaos were interested in Luka, due to how their gaze seemed to center on him. When he felt them rail against his mind, he saw this as confirmation.

"Why is it so?" he whispered to himself, and then saw the ring on Lukas' hand. Leopold, while Tamano and the Lamia stopped and placed the bag, noticed the Priest of Morr holding onto Lukas' hand to examine the ring more closely, which was glowing a dim white light. "Do you know anything about this ring?" Leopold asked, showing it to the two Monsters.

"It was from his mother, that's all I know." Alice said. "What about it?"

"Remember when I mentioned that Morr was the God of Dreams?" Leopold asked, then continued with, "As it so happens I received a vision concerning this very same ring while I was caught up fighting the Skaven before dropped off at a castle." he explained, getting the Monsters' full undivided attention. "In it, I saw three continents, that did not match the lands of my world, all plunged in fire and unending war like mine is. Cities, towns and villages with Humans creatures I now recognize as Monsters were burning, their populace chased and hunted in every corner of the middle and southern lands by Daemons, until they were destroyed, or became mad and insane as he was, like a group of Humans from my world known as the Norscans. He was recruited into their ranks when they showed him all the sins of the world he lived in, and made him experience them personally as though they were done to him. He felt his life force drained from his body by Succubi, being flayed alive and eaten by Dragons after they beat him into submission, with every bone in his body broken, burned with acid by Slimes, and other deaths that featured a common theme; he witnessed them whenever he saw a Monster, and his death would be done either before or after being violated by the Monster into question." his descriptions and how this man became what he did in the vision caused chills to run down their spines, and it intensified greatly as he continued. "In it, a mutated champion of the Dark Gods was chosen as the master of their infinite Daemon armies, and marched them out to face a race of women similar to yours. I never saw his face, and what I saw is that he originally was a pacifist that sought to better his world. However, the Ruinous Powers corrupted him, and drove him mad with visions of those he loved dying, of uncountable horrors. Then in it, I beheld then crouching over a grave, then casting off an object and leaving. When I examined it, the object was this very ring. After this, another race, characterized by having wings of eagles and doves came, which I know believe are the beings you call Angels, forming an alliance with your kind against the Humans of this world and the Daemons of Chaos." Leopold explained. Tamano then spoke up, clearing her throat as she did so.

"This war with the Angels, who were they led by?"

"I did not recognize her, but it was another, likely their progenitor if I was to hazard a guess. Either way, the war between both sides was bitter and long, spanning over millenia, for the Champion was made into their Everchosen for this world, one prophesied to destroy it like the one from my world known as Archaeon, and was given immortal life due to the hatred and loathing he had came to have for her, made into a Daemon like the ones which are gazing upon us now." Leopold explained, and he saw that hey glanced at Luka with worry and fear, apparently knowing who he was talking about. Arnold himself shuffled in place, keeping his eye on the soul bag, while Leopold continued talking. "Soon with wounds that would fell lesser beings, she called upon another like unto her, along with six other beings from a location in the northern continent. Upon seeing what was happening, they both, along with their strongest warriors, would try to fight the Daemon Prince, from which only two endings to the resulting battle would occur."

"What were they?"

"The first is that they win and slay the Daemon Prince, but the two Goddess' that led both the Angels and Monsters succumb to the wounds inflicted on both of them, and many of their strongest are swarmed and consumed by an unending horde of Daemons, while the Angels and Monsters that survive slowly die and go extinct, the Humans they rely on to breed and fed on having going extinct. The second, the Daemon Prince wins and defeats them both, and he becomes the uncontested ruler of this world, forever tormenting and torturing them for eternity. The progenitor of the Monsters for creating a race that he once tried to reconcile with that mocked and spat in his face, ever made to watch her creations live in fear, praying to the Princes' Gods to give them just another day to live. The leader of the Angels however, he would inflict ever worse and worse horrors upon her body and mind, as though she wronged him on a personal and imitate level." the Monsters paled at the thought of what was just described. Leopold wondered what was going through their minds. "It was then," Leopold said, getting their attention once more, "that Morr himself spoke of there being one way to stop this."

"Only one?" the Lamia asked.

"That I find the one who owned such a ring, and give them this." Leopold then produced an amulet, which had the Cult of Morrs' emblem on it, a dark blue crow flying through a window. The Daemons on the other side almost screamed in rage within Leopolds' head, causing the Priest to flinch at the outburst. The two Monsters reacted in similar fashion, which made Arnold look back and forth, not sure what was going on. After it subsided, Leopold set it around Lukas' neck, and the squirming and shuddering Human calmed down, as the eye of the crow glowed a soft purple. Soon, another presence appeared, and seemed to drive away the sensation that the three were feeling. "This amulet will ensure Morr will find Luka, to still his heart at night, whenever he sleeps. However, this is only half of the solution, for Luka himself must consciously decide for himself what he will be with the worlds fate, whether that be the hand that saves it, or the one to destroy it. And if the Daemons can not have him be their Everchosen to end the world, there will always be another soul that they can find that will take his place." Leopold warned, before turning back to the open casket, as a whispering entered his ear. "And now, I feel impressed by Morr himself as though this is the end of my role in this boys life. I have a grave to fill, and a soul to send to the God of the Dead." he replied, going back to his duties as a Priest of the Empire of Mankinds' God of the Dead.

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**POV SHIFT**

* * *

Tamano and Alice were both able to communicate telepathically, and as such, they privately discussed what the Human Priest of Morr told them.

_These Chaos Daemons, the way this Human described them as a more plague then living being, I wouldn't have believed him if I never saw what happened to Nanabi before my eyes. _Alice 'said,' shuddering as she could still hear the Daemon laughing maniacally.

_Agreed. _Tamano replied, holding onto the small child Kitsune as the two Humans lowered the coffin into the grave dug into it. _At least we can at least sense them, similar to the Humans from the other world. How is Luka, is he doing alright? _Alice looked over the Human, sensing the aura that the priest attributed to Morr provide some sort of comfort to Luka.

_So far, it seems this Morr is doing what the priest said he would... Tamano, what do you think we should do about Luka? _Alice asked of the Kitsune.

_Are you suggesting we should kill him? _The Heavenly Knight of Earth asked. When Alice looked over at the Humans to see they weren't looking, and nervously nodded quietly, Tamano responded telepathically with, _No, we should not. Not only because Luka did not do what he did under his own volition, he was tricked and lied to by the Daemon that attacked us through him, but we should also consider what the priest said. 'If the Daemons can not have him be their Everchosen to end the world, there will always be another soul that they can find that will take his place.' As a result, it will accomplish nothing but the Daemons moving on to someone else, and the prophesy will be fulfilled anyway. _Alice looked away sheepishly at the almost scolding tone Tamano had. The Kitsune noticed the look that Alice had directed toward Luka. There seemed to be a confusion of emotion behind the Lamias' eyes, which the Kitsune picked up on. It seemed Alice was actually conflicted about killing Luka herself as is.

"Alright, is there any last words you have for the departed?" the two Monsters looked back at the Priest of Morr, and saw that the coffin was closed with a seal placed on it in some sort of ink. The seal resembled an archway, which had a white and black pillar on it with the a skull in it.

"What does the seal do?" Alice asked, noting the way it pulsed with power.

"It's to ensure that the departed can not be raised from the grave by necromancers. At least, Human ones at least, Vampires are a much more difficult lot." the Morrlite said. Upon mentioning Vampires and necromancy in the same sentence almost, the two Monsters looked at him again.

"What are Vampires like from your world?" Tamano asked.

"The Empire has waged three great wars against a group of Vampires known as the Von Carsteins, who are but one of six known clans of Vampire, all of whom are hated for their dabbling in Necromancy, often raising entire armies of the dead and angering Morr as a result. In fact, one of Morrs' commandments are to hunt them and other Undead creatures, as they endanger the soul by taking it out of the safety of his realm and risk it being consumed by Daemons."

_Should we tell him about the-_ Alice began asking, before Tamano interrupted him.

_No. I don't she would like a visit from these two. _The Kitsune interrupted. Then she turned back to Nanabis' coffin. The two Morrlites stared at her, waiting for a response. "I just hope she is taken care of." with that, the lid was closed up, and Tamano helped the two Humans place it into the grave. After that was done, she and Alice pushed the dirt into the hole, and flatten it.

As the last of the dirt was flattened out so the Morrlites could set a stone that Arnold found nearby, an ethereal arch similar to the one that was on the coffin appeared behind the group, with a door with the Imperial Maltese cross and skull. As the door opened, the Monsters watched as they felt an intense aura that can only be Morr was emitted by the arch. They could see into the arch way, and saw a field of some kind, with a city in the background that they did not recognize the design form. A tall man dressed in black clothing that resembled that of a noble, wielding a scythe and lantern, stepped out of the arch, and stared impassively at the group. Leopold opened the bag he captured Nanabis' soul in, and her spirit came out. After looking around for a second, the Kitsune looked around, and then paused upon seeing Morr standing before her. While a normal Human man would only be around shoulder height to the seven-tailed Kitsune, she barely came up to the Imperial God of the Deads' stomach, and she was visibly unnerved by the stare he gazed at her with. After a few seconds passed, he turned around, and gestured with the lantern to follow him, which Nanabi did.

As she walked over to the arch, Morr stopped to let her pass, and followed through. The two then gave one last glance to Alice and Luka specifically, as the door closed and the arch disappeared...

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**POV SHIFT**

* * *

As Lukas' dream continued, he found himself in a field of green grass. Looking around, he saw no other creatures around in the area, and even found Angel Halo was no where in sight. He began to panic, as he strongly needed something to defend himself with now.

He had been disturbed by a nightmare in which he was trapped in an arena of some kind, which made him shudder in fear at remembering. In it, he was trapped with a Succubus named Kyuba, who completely overwhelmed and defeated him despite his best efforts to get away. What was worse was the crowd of Human and Monster women who jeered and laughed as he was taken by the Succubus. Eventually, after he climaxed who knew how many times, she then carried him away laughing as she soared through the air. Upon seeing the mountain ranges which bordered Hellgondo, he screamed realizing she was keeping him as a prisoner and bit down on her hand. In anger, Kyuba let go of him, dropping Luka in the ocean, who struck with such an impact he felt his body breaking.

About several seconds later, his vision went dark, and he found himself in this field. Looking around, he could hear what sounded like a deck of cards being shuffled, and then saw its source behind him. He expected it to be another Monster, planning to make him bet his life to her.

However, he saw it was actually an elderly man in well tailored clothing, but he was abnormally tall with a hood obscuring the top part, sitting a desk of wood which had excellent craftsmanship put into its construction. The man was shuffling a deck of cards, the backs of which he recognized as the same fireball that Victor and Kruber seemed to revere with a reverence similar to that of the cross. With cautious paranoia, Luka backed up slowly, then paused as the man finished shuffling, and looked at Luka.

"You are still dreaming you know." he said. His voice carried an air of sophisticated grace and stoicism, a richly deep bass that spoke of wisdom and intelligence, yet friendly at the same time. Unlike the pretend tone most of the Monsters Luka had met made when casually threatening Luka, his was genuine. "Come now, this time there nothing to harm you." and waved over to Luka. "Why not come play a game of cards with an old man?" Luka shook his head.

"No, no, I don't know you. How do I know this is not a trick?" he asked. After a few seconds, the man sighed. "That spirit, it showed me the lengths many Monsters can go to slaughter and maim Humans."

"Well now, I suppose you'll just have to choose what you want to make of this." the man replied, gesturing to the open field, which Luka realized had gravestones all over and dotting the land-scape. Luka approached, and took a chair that made matched that of the curious and strangely worked table, and saw a third chair, while the man dealt to all three chairs.

"Are you expecting someone?" Luka asked, to which the man turned to the boy. He smiled slightly as he answered.

"As a matter of fact, I am." and right on cue, a pillar of light descended upon the third chair, and Illias appeared. She was preparing to say something to the man judging by the angry look on her face, and stopped on finding herself sitting at the third chair.

"Who do you think... what in the hell?" she muttered, drawing a wide-eyed look from Luka.

"Goddess Illias?!" he cried out in shock at the Goddess he worshiped cursing. The Goddess of Light froze, and turned to see Luka. Almost immediately on the spot, she recomposed herself, and picked up the cards the man left there.

"Sorry, my dear hero. I was busy making sure that demon was not bothering you. Even so, I came back to find that this man was here." she explained. "This is-"

"I can introduce myself thank you very much." the man interrupted, earning a glare from the Goddess, who huffed in annoyance. As Luka stared at how bold this man was, he proceeded to turn to Luka. "I, am Morr, and as you may have noticed, these cards carry the same symbol that Victor and his... well, party is not accurate... ah yes fractious allies. Yes, that is it. Either way, Victor and his fellow Human soldier Markus happen to have the same symbol."

"Get to the point." Illias said, rolling her eyes. With a glance and a frown, Morr continued.

"I happen to be one of the Gods that reside in the world they are from Luka. Specifically, I am the Empire of Mans' God of the Dead."


	14. Chapter 14

**Vermin Tide Quest**

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Chapter 14

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Illias stared at Morr, this 'God of the Dead' that was one of two Gods the Human from the so-called 'Empire of Man' worshiped. She was already growing to hate him, both for the fact that he has shown the ability to both enter dreams like she does, and because of his obsession with having the dead buried, Monsters and Humans alike despite his people having a clear hate for the Monsters. What his and the other deity that has appeared named Sigmar have planned, the Seekers could only guess at, since the only evidence into their ideas and thought process would be in any scriptures the Humans from the other side brought with them. This was problematic, since Illias herself is proof that such things mean nothing. So far, while they have been a pain in the ass for the Goddess of Light and Holiness, she was feeling as though they were... familiar? Illias however put that aside in favor of the seemingly innocent card game Morr had started. After looking at her hand, she then paused and realized that he did not say what game that the two were playing with Luka.

_Damn son of a... whatever would count as a mother to this freak... _she thought, as the Goddess was supposed to omnipotent and all-knowing, and now not only was there a stranger that she knew nothing about, he has put her in a position that could ruin that image in front of Luka, who was critical to her plan to become the ultimate being and her Angels who no doubt are watching this unfold in Lukas' mind. Thankfully she was good at hiding what she was thinking, and Luka spoke up and got Morrs attention.

"Um, what game are we playing, and are you planing to make bet my soul or anything?" Morr simply looked at him blankly, his face similarly as unreadable as Illias' face, and then his ticked upwards.

"We are going to play a game called '21,' and while it would be tempting, you don't have to bet anything." Luka visibly tensed up at the idea that Morr wanted his soul. Illias held back the feeling of anger that rose up as the possibility that these strange gods might be here to help Alice the First sabotage her plans set in. She had bad memories of the Great Monster Wars, and the way her Darkness counterpart had the gall to let her Monsters go around and do whatever they wanted with Illias' creations known as Humans, even kill them, and then play the victim when Illias confronted her about it. Illias, angry and jealous towards how Alice was seemingly favored upon the Humans somehow, and for the Monsters being superior creations to them in every way, with the only weakness they had was that said Monsters had to rely on the Humans to live and breed, finally had enough. She created the Angels as a result, and personally threatened Alice the First that if she didn't reign in the Monsters and had them learn to control their impulses, Illias would declare war on the Dark Goddess and her Monsters, but would erase every pertaining to her until nothing remained but whispers and faint memories.

Alice of course then refused to do so, convinced that Illias did not have the guts to do so, since the Light Goddess the always the weaker of the two and thus would never be as admired as the Dark Goddess. Well, now Illias has the chance to get the last laugh on the Goddess of Darkness, and fulfill her promise to exterminate the Monsters, and the Light Goddess promised herself that she would do anything it takes. Oh yes, she will completely erase Alices' work and creations from this world while her counterpart watched in horror with her direct daughters knowing she could have prevented the fate she damned her creations to, even if Illias has to wipe the world clean with her Angels entirely and start again with a blank slate to do so.

And now these two Gods just _happened _to show up, with an army of their own, and have thrown everything she was working for in jeopardy, and began attacking the Monsters and killing them, something which would release Alice the First and the Six Ancestors. Illias initially was elated to have what at first seemed to be reinforcements, but now the potential consequences of their actions had made her realize they were more a derailment then anything else. She had to keep both the Empire and these 'Daemons of Chaos' as they have been referred to by that Priest of Morr in check.

"Illias, is there something wrong?" Luka asked, making Illias realize her anger caused her to stare off into the distance. Morr stared at her, with a look of confusion. After taking a deep sigh, she turned back to Luka, her blonde hair swishing lightly as she lightened up her glare.

"Sorry Luka, I just had some bad memories I would rather not share." she said, and then looked at her hand, and saw she had an ace and a king. After Morr gave a summary of the rules and how the cards were counted, she smiled brightly, the game lighting up her mood already. Morr looked at her, and with a knowing grin hidden from Lukas' eyes, Illias showed that she won the first round...

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**POV SHIFT**

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As Balthasar Gelt was continuing his research into what little he can discern of the vast and very clear history of the castle here, he stopped in the middle of the hallway, and looked a painting. In it, a half-snake women with a red tail and light purple skin was posing with a scepter and a gold sphere that resembled a cruciger, but with a design he did not recognize. Her silver hair covered her exposed breasts, leaving just enough covered to entice a lesser man, and her piercing golden eyes stared out with impassive judgment. The Kind of eyes that one who knew they were meant to rule had when they attained power and found it to not be quite what they thought, the kind of look the Empires' own Emperor Karl Franz sometimes had when he was in private and needed to confide in his family or advisers on personal affairs.

"Hmm, so this must be the current Lord of Monsters." Gelt whispered to himself.

"Huh?" Gelt turned to the escort Great Sword that spoke, who stopped and looked at the painting as well, along with around six or seven others. "What was that?" the man asked.

"I was just talking to myself." Gelt said, as he looked down the hallways, seeing the busts and paintings lining each side. At the end of the hallway, Gelt couldn't help but simile as he saw a pair of doors. "I may just found what I was looking for."

"What is that, milord?"

"An actual fucking library I hope, or at least a records chamber. One that will actually enlighten us and give us a clue as to where we are in this accursed world. By Sigmar, what I wouldn't give to have my old research chambers again. Within such rooms, we can see what visual sorts of information we can find, that are not tainted by Chaos of course, and try to elaborate on they represent. For example this portrait here, which we stopped to examine." Gelt explained, waving a hand at it, and then comparing it to the one next to it, which depicted a similar woman, but with a series of wings along her tail, and wearing a veil. "What do you think these portraits are of? Remember, we are in a castle, which has been around for a very, very long time, who do you think they are?" Gelt asked. After a few seconds passed, the one of the Great Swords spoke up.

"Are you saying these creatures are from some kind noble class amongst the Monsters?" he asked.

"Close, but they aren't mere nobles. I believe this to be their capital, given the throne room we found." at that, the Great Swords understood what he was saying.

"This is their _royalty_!" a man cried out.

"Correct." Balthasar said. "So we can at least gleam some information about the history of this place, which will give us an edge in uncovering any secrets we can use against the Monsters when their counterattack begins." Gelt then proceed to look at the name, and frowned. "Unfortunately, we are still not capable of translating the native language, but I was able to get a number, which interestingly is in our numerical designation." after mumbling to himself as he looked at the names of the women in the portraits, much to the chagrin to his escorts, the Supreme Patriarch looked at them. "From what I can tell, they actually have the same name, the only difference being this one is the Sixteenth of her line, and the other is the Fifteenth." Gelt then went down the hall, and began counting as he went. "14...13...12...11...10...9..." he stopped at the Eighth, which was covered. Gelt, after gesturing his men to ready their weapons in case it was a trap, and pulled it off to reveal that it was, to his genuine shock, the girl in the blue dress. If he remembered correctly, Eden called her Alice, and unlike the other portraits that were made to look sensual, more so then Portraits 15 and 16 which at least did not depict the symbols of power as being sex toys and made an effort to look normal, this one was different.

In it, she was standing amidst an army of Monsters, and her white apron was splattered with blood. Instead of a scepter, she held a sword, which was raised to point at a burning city. And instead of holding the orb that the others had, she carried the head of some foreign king, dribbling blood from the wound where his neck was cleaved in twain. The Imperials were shocked at this, since it broke the pattern of being enticing. Not only that, but the Eighth was not a half-snake, and had tan skin and golden hair instead of silver with purple skin.

"What would it mean for her portrait to be covered?"

"She is either viewed as a stain on their honor after she was succeeded by the Ninth, or sometime after the fact has become viewed as cruel or bloodthirsty. Interesting for creatures likely corrupted by Chaos." Gelt replied. "Normally, such a being would be hailed as a great champion worthy of praise, as we all unfortunately know with our experience with the Norcan and the Kurgan." At the mention of the worshipers of Chaos, several Great Swords visibly shuddered.

"Well, is it possible that she was a traitor of some kind?" someone asked. Gelt put a hand under his chin, then nodded.

"That could be the case, but there has not been anything that can be part of the symbols of the Powers." the Gold Wizard pointed out. "Either way, I have my work cut out for myself." he said, continuing on as he went down the line of paintings, and then stopping with a painting identified the creature on it as the second of the castle bloodline. Gelt noticed that there was no portrait of the First in the bloodline.

_Why is that? _He thought, once again confused with this finding more questions concerning the castle then answers... what he wouldn't give to have something to translate the language of this place.

* * *

**POV SHIFT**

* * *

As the game ended, Illias herself surprisingly found herself the winner of the game with 5 rounds won. Luka had 4, with Morr losing with only 2 rounds. Luka shuffled in place, and then turned to Morr.

"What now?" he asked. The God looked at him, and sighed. It was not out of any stress from losing, but was more one of contemplation.

"I suppose you would like to know more about me and the Imperial State Troopers in the Monster Lords' castle." he said, which got Illias interested. They mostly played in silence, the calming lack of noise with exception of requesting of a card and so on bringing an atmosphere of... Illias didn't know, but she could not shake the feeling that Morr was familiar in some way. So the fact Morr brought up how she and Luka knew nothing about this god made her snap back to reality.

"Well, I suppose so." Luka said. "Um Morr, what exactly do you mean by being a God of the Dead?" he asked. "Are there other Gods that represent other aspects of life?" Morr nodded sagely, and spoke. Illias had to admit, she had similar questions concerning him and Sigmar.

"You are very perspective to catch on to that, Luka. In answer to your second question, yes there are other Gods that the Imperials worship. My realm of influence in their lives is that of the afterlife, where I watch over the soul, and guard it from those that would defile it, such as Necromancers." the God explained, gesturing to the various gravestones in the grass field. "I also will watch over the dreams of those who sleep, as it in a way is considered a form of death in the Empire, one where the living come close to it with passing on to the afterlife."

"What does the afterlife you watch over look like?" Luka asked. Morr simply looked at the boy, and smiled gently.

"Well, it is similar to Heaven, but is nowhere near a paradise, but it is neither Hell either." Morr said cryptically. "Think of my realm, known as The Garden as a kind of limbo, which the soul is free to wander safely as it wills." it was then, he frowned and what he described next made Luka shudder visibly. Illias listened in closely, looking for key details Morr might slip up and give away. "You see, in the world I came from, there are no Monsters, at least not the kind you would recognize. However in their place, there are the Daemons of Chaos, creatures that reside in yet another realm, a kind of in between state that is connected to the physical one of our existence. They thrive on destruction and death, ever hungering for the souls of those who lived in the world where the Imperials live in." Illias found this interesting, but kept her face emotionless. "As a result, The Garden is one of the only places the souls of the dead can go and not be attacked by them. Luka, you were also being attacked by them until now." Morr suddenly interjected, getting the Human and Illias' attentions.

"Eh?!" Luka went. "That thing that took control of me was a Daemon?!" Morr nodded, and a serious aura radiated from his body language as he leaned back.

"Yes, and that is also why you experienced that nightmare of being killed repeatedly, for while there was some truth to what the Daemon said concerning the Monsters, in the end it was planning to use you as a tool." Luka looked down in shame. Illias saw this, and thought Morr was going to be another pro-Monster influence on Luka. Which made Morrs' next words surprising. "However, as you were unaware of what was going to happen, I don't fault you for letting it in your mind."

"What? But I had allowed it to kill a Monster, and it did so in cold blood."

"A Monster no doubt, that would've done the same to you Luka." Morr replied. "That's one of the truths the Daemon showed you Luka, and in fact, given the circumstances of how their realm works, was likely another time line where you died."

"What?" Luka asked. "What do you mean?" Morr paused for a moment, as Illias smiled inwardly, feeling victory was near as she spoke up.

"He was talking about things that frankly you aren't ready for yet Luka. Morr, don't you think that kind of stuff is a bit much for one Hero to take in?" she said, playing off the fact she did not know what Morr was talking about either. Morr seemed to have bought it, or at least was being cooperating for the moment as he gave his reply.

"Yes, I suppose so. In fact, I have things to discuss with Illias now Luka. If you want, I'm more then willing to discuss aspects about myself if you want to later. Also know that when you wake up, there is a gift for you to help protect you when any Daemons trying to enter your dreams." Morr said. Luka opened his mouth, then closed it before he realized he was starting to awake up. From the perspective of Illias, he faded away, but the world remained, which made her look around. Then her eyes widened in shock as Morr turned to her. "So, Illias, Goddess of Light and Holiness, what do you think of this particular part of the Warp?"

"This is The Garden isn't it? That realm you were talking about." She retorted angrily. Morr grinned.

"Indeed it is Illias. This a remote part of The Garden of Morr, named after yours truly. Like your continent." the God of the Dead said. Illias stared at the strange God with narrowed eyes.

"Cut the crap and get to the point. What are you doing on _my _world?" she demanded. Morr sighed, and then returned to his impassive state.

"Alright then, to get to the point as you said, we are interested in reducing the influence of Chaos to a minimum. And unfortunately, as you may have guessed, it has gotten a foothold already with the Rat-Men known as the Skaven." Illias made hmph noise. She didn't overly care about their presence, given how they have managed to weaken the Monsters and made many Humans that were allied with them turn back to Illias, effectively helping her in the long run. "The other Imperial Gods and I however are now in a bind, as it has been found that Luka is central to everything concerning this world."

"Oh, and what do you know about it?"

"Just a general look at how the skeins of fate and time work in this world. Essentially, we were able to glimpse through time, and had acquired a general and basic grasp of this worlds' history, with Luka being a key part of the worlds' fate. This is also why the Ruinous Powers of Chaos are interested in him. We were also able to identify certain events that been proven crucial to Luka and his development, despite having no influence on your world until now."

"Oh? Like what?" Illias asked, finding Morr to be unconvincing.

"Like who developed a certain plague that claimed the life of his mother, who was secretly the Angel Lucifina." Illias turned in shock at this. Morr stared straight faced at the Goddess of Light, who shuffled in nervousness, recalling when Leopold the Priest of Morr and the prophesy concerning Luka Morr gave him involving Illias herself being tortured by the Human boy for eternity.

"So... you know then about the Six Ancestors and their mother Alice, as well as Remina?"

"Yes."

"And let me guess, this is the part where you talk about how I am fully in the wrong, and how the Monsters should be free to run around, and do as they please."

"No." This made Illias pause. "As far as I care, they should be reigned in. Initially the other Imperial Gods and I thought them mutants, as your Angels found out, and planned to exterminate them." Morr then brushed aside some imaginary dust. "However, when it was confirmed they were not products of the Warp, there is quite a state of confusion as to whether or not to be involved with this world outside of keeping out the Daemons of Chaos, or to transport Balthasar Gelt out of the castle, being the subdued influence of the Daemons means our powers are greatly amplified."

"Well now." Illias said, leaning back into her chair. "It's definitely nice to have someone who doesn't try to play games of sophistry with me for once about not killing other forms of life. Now then, I have one more question: Who are the Ruinous Powers exactly?" Upon hearing Illias' question, Morr stared blankly at her.

"...How do you not know about the Ruinous Powers?"

* * *

**Authors note: That's another chapter done. Now, after I have looked through other crossovers in MGQ, I have started to suffer a bit of... a writing version of buyers remorse I guess. Mainly because they all have characters that are taken from another setting, and then putting them in the MGQ world, the only difference between this one and others is that I actually have the Humans from WHFB not march in lockstep with the Monsters like most crossovers do. I'm not sure if I want to discontinue this, maybe even delete it, and then switch it to Alice XVI and co. ending up in the WHFB setting instead, and it being them trying to survive in a world where they find themselves in a world where Humans can and will actually fight back like this one, or just continue writing this out instead. What do you think?**


	15. Chapter 15

**Vermin Tide Quest**

* * *

Chapter 15

* * *

As Victor and the others got back around to the fork in the road, they took positions behind cover, and waited for the Skaven horde to make their attack. After a few minutes passed, a the sounds of a swarm of them running over could be heard, and the group tensed up, ready for a battle. However, upon hearing a woman screaming in anger, they realized the Plant Monsters were still alive, and the screechs the rat-men were making was them being routed. Soon, several corpses were thrown and hit the rocks around the corner, and a number of Skaven Slaverats ran around the corner, before a Plat Monster made of what looked like vines covering her body in a vague dress of some kind followed them, and whip cracked her vines at them.

The plant tendrils cracked backs and cut intense gouges into the terrified Slaverats flesh, and Keriallian stood up, causing the entire group to pause as she let loose several arrows, perfectly hitting the hearts or heads of the cannon fodder of the Skaven. As two more Plant Monsters came around the corner, the one that came first pointed at the Ubersreik Five and screamed something at them.

"Oh by Khaines' bloody hands." Keriallian muttered, as the Plants then rushed at them. She pulled a silverthorne arrow, which flew out and homed in on the Plants, impaling one in the stomach and piercing through her abdomen, nearly bisected the thin Monster in the process. As the Plants scattered in terror, Kerillian turned to the others while the Monster that she shot fell over and grasped at her wound, gasping in pain and shock. "The loud one was angry and accused us of leading them into a trap alongside the Skaven."

"Seriously?" Markus asked. "Of all the things they could have accused us, it's being in league with the _Skaven_ of all things?" upon confirmation by the Way Watcher, the State Trooper face palmed and sighed before speaking again to the Wood Elf. "Let's just go and try to finish the mission. Are there any more Skaven running about?"

"No, so far they're still engaged in combat with the Monsters. That was mostly nothing more then a group to broke and ran, with the Monster pursuing them. The Plant Monsters surprisingly might have a chance to destroy the base, but that Waprlock Jezzail is picking them off one by one, plus the sheer numbers of Skaven rushing down at them has ensured that they are being held down from moving away. Want to go around the battle field and complete the objective One-Eye?" Kerillian asked, turning to Victor Saltzpyre.

"No, that is too risky, especially with the Rat-Men on alert. What if we cause havoc within the Skaven lines, and let the Monsters pick them off for us?" he suggested to the others. After a brief moment, they agreed, seeing as they had no particular attachment to the Monsters. "Excellent. Now then, what could provide a generous amount of disruption to the Skaven morale?" Sienna cleared her throat, and created a fireball in the shape of a skull, which floated on her hand.

"Wouldn't that burn some of the Plant Monsters as well, since that's a spell that can't be controlled?" Bardin asked. "We did agree to keep the collateral damage to a minimum."

"And we're in a forest." Kerillian added, causing Sienna to sigh as she put out the spell.

"Well, Warpstone is volatile, what if you just cast it in the Skaven camp itself?" Markus asked. The others looked at him, and then thought back on the mental image of setting it off. "No wait, Warpstone is volatile, which why that makes it a bad idea."

"No no, you're on to something. Best solution is often the simplest one and all that." Victor said. Sienna perked up, as the Witch Hunter looked at her. "Sienna, you know what to do." Sienna smiled widely, as the Ubersreik Five went into the brush, ignoring the Monster as she crawled away from them, burbling in fear.

* * *

**POV SHIFT**

* * *

As Famiara and her sisters continued to slay and maim the Rat-Men attacking them, the Alra Umbrella looked at the tower that damned sniper was at, and dodged as her eyes sighted that sniper was preparing to shoot her. The projectile flew out in a split-second, and the Monster cringed as the ground behind her but a moment ago exploded. She used the giant mushroom she carried as both spear and shield, keeping the hordes of filthy vermin men away from her. Two of her sisters, both Alra Vores were flinging their pitcher plant-like mouths, dousing crowds of the beasts in acid. However, they kept coming, almost like an unending wave of seawater, and thus the Monsters were being pushed back. Famiara herself swung and struck one of the more fully armored ones, sending it screaming as it sailed over the air and crashed against two of its kin.

She looked to her left and saw that a group of Rat-Men were eating the corpse of one of her sisters. The sight enraged her, as Famiara's vision turned red at the borders of her vision. As she sailed at them, she ignored the cry of one of her sister Monsters, who was then shot by the Skaven sniper, her head exploding as her body was pulled away by several of the more starving rats. Famiara sped toward the creatures, and swung hard enough that the impact of her mushroom 'umbrella' broke both it and the back of the Rat-Man she hit with it. With her mind, a voice urged her on, and though she barely understood what it was saying, some part of her knew what it wanted.

It wanted her to kill, and to do so in the most gory and bloody way possible. So she punched into the stomach of one of the Rat-Men assassins that were seen occasionally weaving in and out through the battlelines of the two groups fighting, and ripped it in half. The creatures around her watched in shock, and Famiara smelled the scent of urine being leaked from weak bladders. With a bellowing war-cry of feral rage, she began to rip and tear the Rat-Men left and right as they fled, while her sisters stopped and stared in awe, as Famiaras' vision was consumed in the redness that covered her vision.

* * *

**POV SHIFT**

* * *

As the Ubersreik Five ran forwards to go around the battle, they stopped upon hearing a screaming that sent chills down their spines. They all felt the kind of sensation that came with it, and knew what was happening. Victor was the first to speak out, as he confirmed audibly what he others came to the same conclusion.

"Daemons are being drawn in somehow... we might require setting the entire battlefield alight then." Victor said. As they pushed through the brush and watched the battle, they immediately saw the Monster that was suffering from Chaos corruption. She in particular was screaming in inarticulate rage, ripping apart weapons and armor and tearing into the flesh of the Skaven around her with a speed that was frightening to witness. Her companions were also making similar pushes, but their body language suggested they were disturbed by what they were seeing.

As it stood, Victor and his party had shown up just in time to see the Monsters get hit with a volley of Warp Lighting shots, as several Doomwheels rolled out. The machines were made mostly of wood, slapped in a rough shape of a wheel, and had two cannons of some kind which had Warpstone crystals at the end of each pointed at the front, which fired a second barrage that raked the Monsters and Skaven alike. The Plants and Skaven infantry began to panic, and scattered at the Doomwheels drove themselves into their midst, not caring who they ran into as their drivers let out malicious cries of jubilation. One particularly big Monster managed to side-step one of the machines, and struck the Doomwheel as it past her, knocking it over sideways. Her berserk sister then turned and screamed as she ran at the Monster in question, before she tackled them.

The Monster on the ground resembled a flower with tree roots for legs and arms, and yelled in pain and confusion as she her fellow Plant started beating her to death. As the enraged Monster was pulled off with tentacles and vines. Sienna channeled the Wind of Aqshy, and summon a cackling skull, which flew into the Skaven base while Kruber pulled out his handgun, and aimed it at the enraged Monster. When everything went into a confused and paused state from the random skull of fire now running amok in the Skaven camp, Markus shot the Chaos corrupted Monster, who fell limp after her head jerked back, a dark red substance leaking out in a manner more akin to sap then blood. Her companions looked in stunned silence, and looked at the Ubersreik Five. When they grew looks of intense hate towards Markus specifically, the State Trooper paled.

"Shit." he muttered. The others quickly saw the two Monsters running over, with Bardin pulling out the two drakefire pistols he had with him. After firing several missed attempts, one of the Plants was struck multiple times, screaming as she was ignited, drawing the attention of both Skaven and Monsters.

"RUN!" Victor screamed, and the Ubersreik Five once more ran for it, letting the chaos unfold behind them in the process slow down and distract any pursuers. After a while, the group stopped, and hid in some undergrowth to rest and recuperate. As Saltzpyre looked around, he then noticed a smoke plume rising from the sky. "Well, that's useful for navigation. Somewhat." he muttered as the others nodded in agreement.

"Alright now, on to find Olyesa mayflies. Follow me, and don't fall back." Kerillian said, before moving aside some of the forest brush. As the others followed, Bardin spoke up.

"Wait, are we actually going to make it back before sunset?" the Dwarf Ranger asked.

"Not likely. So I guess we'll have to prepare for camp eventually."

* * *

**POV SHIFT**

* * *

As Luka awoke, Alice watched him from some distance. She had put up the tent, and watched over the Human, and upon sensing him stir and awaken, Alice also felt Morr retract his presence from Lukas' mind. Leopold and Arnold were sent back by Tamano back to the other Imperials in the Monster Lord Castle almost as soon as Morr left with the now deceased Nanabis' soul, both so that it could at least calm the Humans there down since they found out about the dungeons that Human slaves were kept for breeding and feeding the Monsters there, and also because there wasn't anywhere for them to go anyway, other then any one of the places in Illiasburg, and those people weren't likely to tolerate the two Imperials on a good day.

"Hey, you awake now?" Alice asked. Luka groaned as he got up from the mat she laid him down on, and looked around. As he opened his eyes, the Human boy stopped, and seemed confused. "Is there something... what is with your eyes?" the Lamia asked. Lukas' eyes still had the red-orange glow in his pupils that Tamano had. As Alice scryed him, she realized that his bodys eyes and brain were altered, along with his adrenaline and other hormone glands. Suddenly Luka jumped in fright, as his brain went haywire with activity, and Alice flinched at the sudden outburst as he cried out.

"Who are you? Where's Alice?" he asked, trying to put some distance between him and a now confused Monster Lord.

"What are you talking about, I'm right here." she replied in annoyance, pointing to herself. As Luka suddenly grabbed the Angel Halo, he snarled. Alice realized something was wrong then, as she spoke.

"You're not Alice. First of all, she doesn't have black fog emitting from her body. And my eyes are fine, even if you have her voice nailed perfectly." he growled, the glowing effect intensifying with his anger. Alice narrowed her eyes as Luka tried to stab her with Angel Halo, and missed when she dodged. She held back the urge to just vaporize him right there and took stock of the situation.

_Wait, is he passively scrying me without knowing it? _Alice thought. She then looked at a mirror, and pointed to it. "Luka, are you sure your eyes are fine?" she asked, causing Luka to look at it. He suddenly twitched and turned back for a second, realizing apparently he took his eyes off a potential enemy, before stopping for a second and doing a double take.

"Alice?" he said, before turning back to her. "Why are you looking like a shape of dark fog here, but normal with your reflection?" he asked. Alice face palmed and sighed.

"Id... Luka, I think you have the ability to scry, which at its most basic form is the ability to activate a second sight to sense and perceive magic in a manner that is understandable to the mind, and should only be possible to do you are an Angel or Monster, not with Humans." Alice explained. Upon getting a blank stare, Alice simplified it with, "You can sense magic now."

"Oh." Luka said. "Wait, you also said something about my eyes? What do they look like?" he asked. Alice was about to insult him again, then remembered that he only stopped upon looking into the mirror, and realized he was also getting much more twitchy, his heart-rate raising to a rapid beat among other changes.

"Um, yeah I should probably teach you how to turn it off first, as it seems your body is freaking out. Now, do you see my eyes?" she asked. Luka nodded as he spoke, but trailed off as he started to focus on the grass

"Yeah, they're... um, Alice is it normal for you to see colors and things you've never seen before while scrying?"

"What? No, what do you mean?"

"Because I am seeing some weird stuff right now, like a weird green, but not green energy flowing like a river through the ground and into the nearby planets, among other things." Luka explained. "In fact, I can actually in fact see through the tent, but where everything is projected on the canvas?"

"Um, that is not how scrying typically looks, its more like getting a general sensation of where magical energy is focused. The closest one should be able to get to 'seeing' magic in the way you are describing right now is picking up on the sheer able of Darkness energy I have in my body." Alice explained. _Which is likely why you freaked out just now, _she thought observing him closely. "Now, imagine your vision returning to normal." she instructed him. After Luka closed his and did so, his body began to calm down, and eventually it returned to a semi-normal state, albeit with residual adrenaline in his body, which was an abnormal reaction too scrying. _Human physiology rejecting it in someway perhaps? _Alice thought. _Or is it the Light energy within him that his mothers keepsake ring released temporarily that was rejecting it?_

Luka then began to fall over, and was caught by Alices' tail as it looped around his waist. As he breathed heavily, the Lamia placed him down on the mattress. After a few minutes, he got up, and walked out.

"Alice, whose grave is that? And what happened to the Treasure Cave?" his voice asked, and the Lamia tensed up at the question. She then slithered out, and had to struggle to keep her voice neutral. Remembering the Daemon as it was called supposedly controlled him, it was likely the creature had wiped his memories of killing Nanabi it seems, so she chose her words carefully.

"It collapsed. Apparently a big battle happened, and the cave collapsed from taking damage. You were injured by a magic spell of some kind, which is why you woke up outside in a tent." Alice said, a half-truth that she told as to not upset him. Luka nodded.

"How long was I out for?" the boy asked.

"About five hours. There was a Kitsune named Nanabi there, and she was killed in the cave-in."

"Eh?!" Luka was shocked. "That's horrible! I'm... I'm so sorry." he said. Alice screwed her mouth tightly, keeping her thoughts to herself. Suddenly Luka jumped up. "Wait the Bell! Is it buried in there?!" Alice widened her eyes, and realized he was right. Then when he looked at something behind her, and Alice followed his gaze at what looked to be a tunnel being dug under by a tree. The roots were somehow growing, and then stopped and tensed, following by the trunk and canopy of the tree they were connected to pulling itself to the entrance, slowly but surely. Alice scryed it, and saw that it was not abnormal in anyway.

"What the hell?" she muttered to herself, and then recalled a legend about Humans known as Druids that once communed with the world, in a manner similar to those that use Gnome to feel the world around them. However, unlike those who use the Spirit of Earth Magic, Druids were often dismissed as nothing more then crazy hermits by both Monsters and their fellow Humans, and disappeared over time.

Alice read a book about them once, and came to the same conclusion, as their philosophy included that plants were indeed thinking beings, and can communicate with each other in an intimate manner that transcends even telepathy. In the end, they were nothing more then followers of Illias that more loopy then other fanatical lovers of the Goddess of Light, as they often denied they were the ones casting magic, and said that they merely communicated their needs to the plants.

"Alice, are you seeing this? I started scrying the tree, and it is amazing." he said with a elated voice. The Monster Lord turned around, and saw Lukas' eyes are glowing.

"Seeing what? I scryed it as well and somehow, that tree is moving while I can't sense any magic from it. So it shouldn't be moving, but it is." Alice said, getting annoyed more then anything. Luka stared at her in confusion.

"You don't see? The not green green energy I was talking about, the tree is channeling it through its own body, and animating itself." he claimed. "Mom used to mentioned that a group of now extinct Humans called the Druids used to talk with the plants around them, and were once created by Illias to cure blighted fields of wheat."

"Oh by the First Lord, plants don't have feelings Luka!" Alice screamed, while Luka jerked back in fear, the two not noticing the way the forest seemed to turn towards them, while the tree that was moving slowed down. "The Druids were nothing but a bunch of Humans that got high on eating mushrooms, their belief that plants could speak were naught but not realizing that Fay Folk were fucking with them, and plants. Are. Not. Alive!" she screamed in anger. "It's bad enough you let yourself turn into that thing, and caused Nanabi to die!" as soon as the words left her mouth, Luka fell backwards. He then stammered.

"Whuh, what do you mean?" Luka asked. Alice then grabbed Luka, and pulled him up by the collar as tears streamed down her cheeks. As her emotions overwhelmed her, she continued yelling at Luka.

"Exactly that you idiot! You let that thing take control of you inside the cave. While it possessed you, it killed Nanabi, and laughed while doing so! You are an accomplice to murder, and you didn't even know it! I lied to make you feel better, and went so far as to not kill you in your sleep despite everything in me screaming for me to do so, as well as when you actually pointed the Halo sword at me. And you have the gall to think you can get away with lying to me?!" She pointed a finger at the forest, and continued screaming in anger. "Look at the forest again Luka, and tell me with a straight face that there is some magic I, a direct descendent of the line of Alice the First, am not sensing some mystical magic that does not involve the Four Spirits!"

"Alice, what do you mean by direct descendent of the First Monster Lord?" Luka said. Alice growled, and dropped Luka.

"You know what, go! I don't care, just get of my sight!" she said. Luka got up and tried to say something. Alice interrupted him by screaming "GGOO!" and slammed her tail in front of her body, kicking up sand and making Luka jump back. He then turned and ran away, dropping Angel Halo in the process. As she bent down pick it up, the Halo wailed at her with an angry tone. "Shut it, you probably en-"

"_Aaalll...lllliicccee." _The Lamia paused, and turned to her left. To her shock, the bark of one of the trees formed a shape as she watched. She somehow couldn't see what it was despite her vision, and so slithered closer, brandishing Angel Halo in one hand, and reading a spell with the other. "_Aaalll...llliiccceee." _the voice she heard said. The Monster Lord for some reason couldn't tell whether it was a male or female voice, and examined the shape on the tree more closely, and saw it was a face.

"What in the world is this?" she whispered. Suddenly, an arm made of wood shot out, and punched her in the face, and several roots and branches coiled around and captured the Monster Lord. She broke out, and yelled as she threw the Angel Halo sword as the tree, intent on dispelling whatever enchantment was placed upon it. The sword thudded into it, and stuck into the tree.

She smiled in victory, and rubbed away the trail of red blood running down her nose. Her smile turned into a frown however, as the tree lurched. Then a creature made of wood burst out, the Halo sword embedded on it.

When it looked at her, it looked like a skeletal being that reminded her of Undead beings caused her to freak out, as its ghoulish skull of a head glared at her, which glowed with a pale green aura. As it pointed at her, the being spoke, its voice sending chills down her spine.

"_You. Fool. Ish. Girl." _the creature pulled out the Angel Halo sword, as several more came out and stood behind it. It spoke in a broken tone, as though trying to put its thoughts into words that Alice could understand. As it continued on, the creature threw the sword back, which landed in front of Alice. _"Bring. Luka. Back. Set him. Back to. His quest. Beg for. His. Forgiveness." _It intoned commandingly to Alice, and began to fuse back into the tree.

"What... what are you?" she asked, shock and fear making her voice quiver. With all but its face back into the tree it came from, the creature spoke one last time as it faded back into the trunk.

"_We. Are. The. Forest. We. Are. Those. You. Deemed. Not. Alive."_


	16. Chapter 16

**Vermin Tide Quest**

* * *

Chapter 16

* * *

Alice huddled in a coiled ball for several minutes, the Lamia shocked into fear from the various trees and their outburst towards her. That, and she saw how the Angel Halo had no effect on the one she attacked, at least not that she saw. The only noises around her were the waves crashing on the beach, and rumbling from several trees digging up the Treasure Cave. Upon picking up the Angel Halo sword, she looked over at the forest, and then sniffed the air.

Upon catching Lukas' scent, she swallowed down the gob of saliva that poured into her mouth, and began to slither after him. As she sped through and followed Lukas trail, the full weight of what she witnessed began to set in. She had encountered the very spirits the Druids claimed to exist within the world, that resided in the plants that were not of the daughters of Ancestor Kanon. Not only that, they were enraged at her, and she could feel them even now looking at her. If they existed, then that means that despite everything she had been taught about them, the Druids were indeed what they claim to be.

_But if they did commune with the plants, why did they turn on them, and reveal themselves to me now? What is it that made them reject their aiding humans like they once did? _Alice thought this to herself, and then stopped upon realizing she was entering Illias port. Turning into Human form, she ran on Human legs, until a nearby tree bent and blocked her path with a branch. Stopping in place, the Monster Lord turned to see an arm point southwards.

_That. Way. Luka went into. Port town. To throw you. Off his. Scent. _A voice said. Alice started to run, before turning to the tree as its arm retracted.

"Thank you." she said, giving a bow to it before continuing on. While running, she felt a pang of guilt, recalling her outburst with shame. She was supposed to stay level headed, to maintain a neutral and calm demeanor and set an example as Tamano taught her. Instead, she took it out on Luka, raging at him for things that were out of either one of their control. Not only that, she realized that according to what the Heavenly Knight claimed, the so called Daemon impied that it whispered some form of lie to convince him to let it attack and murder Nanabi. She had seen more then her fair share of how Illias' mortal Human priests and followers preached that Monsters were beasts, creatures that sought death and enslavement towards those who fall into their hands. Many of the crimes they accused Monsters of committing often included draining Human men until they died through Critical Ecstasy, and enslaving them as breeding stock. Who knew what the Daemon told Luka, to make him radiate such intense anger and bloodlust that it could not be described more then it was _felt _by her and the other Monsters back at the Treasure Cave. She saw the intense glares he shot at her and the others, and how many Monsters actively hid upon seeing him, rather then risk becoming a potential victim of his wrath.

"Damn it Alice, you really were a fool." she muttered to herself, stopping when she sensed a sudden chill in the air. A group of Humans were also nearby, with a wagon that was being pulled by a horse. The horse in particular reeled and whined in terror, as the driver of the wagon tried to calm it down. The other Human who were around also clearly felt the sudden drop in temperature, meaning Alice was not imagining it. As she shivered, several Humans took notice of her.

"Hey, you there, are you alright? You seem a bit cold miss." one of them, an elderly man said as he approached Alice, then handed her a set of clothing. "Here, these will warm you up." he cheerfully exclaimed, as the disguised Lamia took them with a slightly bemused look.

"Ah um, thank you." she said, blushing upon thinking of what she looked like from their perspective. As the temperature continued to drop, her sixth sense started to go haywire. "Sorry I was looking for someone, a boy in fact."

"Purple hair, crying his eyes out? He went that way. Are you his girlfriend and he found out you were working at a brothel or something?" Alice turned beat red at the sheer gall this man had.

"Father!" another man said, this around his 40s exclaimed, turning him around. "Go back to the wagon! Sorry, he does have a brain to mouth filter."

"I understand." Alice said, recalling similar experiences with Alma Elma. Suddenly, she felt as though it grew cold as a blizzard, and she and the Humans dropped down as a multi-colored vortex opened up and from it a cold wind blew from behind a wagon. She could also sense that the Daemons of Chaos were responsible, their suffocating aura growing intense for a split second before it went away as fast it came.

When the group got up and turned to see what it was, they saw, from what Alice could tell by scent, a tall and muscular man of some kind laying face down on the ground holding an ax and a shield that was wrought in an unknown workmanship, wearing a a suit of armor that was colored in blood red and bronze, and a cape painted with a rune that glowed with a baleful red light. As one of the Humans, a woman this time, approached him cautiously to see if their fellow Human was alright, Alice realized that the rune was the same one that killed Nanabi.

"GET AWAY FROM HIM!" she screamed, but was to late when he, despite how thick and heavy his armor looked, suddenly shot up. He was at least nearly double the size of the Human before him, and with nary a care, grabbed her by the head using the ax as a hook, and snapped it sideways with a twist of the blade. and Alice looked on in shock, he tossed the dead body to the side.

"SAMANTHA!" the young man that was directing his father screamed, drawing a sword and screaming as he rushed at the murderer. When it merely clanged off the helmet, which was fashion to look similar to that of the Daemon that controlled Luka, the man stared in shock. He then paled as the beast of a man looked, his face hidden completely as a growl left his mouth. The man then flailed wildly to no avail, his opponent watching as blow after blow clanged off his armor. Alice then saw his ax hand tightened, and immediately threw away her illusion of a disguise. Before the warrior cleaved the Human in half, she coiled her tail around him and pulled him away. As the ax swiped at nothing but thin air, Alice readied Angel Halo while the Humans looked on in shock.

"You're a Monster?!" the elderly man yelled. "Let my son go!" he yelled, before seeing his son was already running back to him. Alice turned back to the wagon and the family who stared in terror.

"GET OUT OF HERE!" she screamed. "DO IT OR DIE!" with that the family hopped on as the wagon sped full force away in panic. She then turned as the Human from the other world laughed evilly. As he spoke, his armor made his voice sound metallic and hollow, sending chills down her spine. While he spoke in the same language Leopold spoke, she still understood the words.

"Well now, I never expected a Slaanesh-corrupted Elf of all things to challenge me in face to face combat." Alice raised an eyebrow, then blanked out as it set in that he was probably from the same world that Victor and his group was from. Seeing her open-mouthed look, the Human stared at her, then waved a hand. "Well, are you going to see anything, or did Slaanesh just now fuck what little brains you have left?" Alice snapped out of it and into reality.

"What was that you prick?!" she yelled, her eyes glowing. She proceed to cast Monster Lords Cruelty in rage, and blasted it full force at the Human. However, the rune on his chest plate glowed, and dispelled the attack, much to Alice's shock. "What? How in the hell did you do that? No Human can match a Monsters magical might."

"BAH! Magic is nothing but the under-handed tactics of the weaklings of the Empire and their allies. It was but the stolen power of the true Gods, wielded but those who know nothing of hardship." he then ran towards Alice, who was immediately taken aback by the sheer speed at which he charged at her. "BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD!" he screamed, and swung his ax to strike at her. "SKULLS FOR THE SKULL THRONE!" Alice blocked it with Angel Halo which let out a warbling noise, and then Alice realized she could hear the ax growl. On closer inspection, she saw that instead of a single blade of metal, the head was two rows of bone teeth, which were grinding at the Halos' blade in opposite directions and glared at her with a singular eye that was off center of the head. The warrior pulled the ax back, and punched with his shield, which had a wheel engraved with eight spokes and was large enough to practically be a mini-door. Alice dodged the attack, and winced as she felt the wind pass by her.

_Damn, that just might hurt to take head on. _As she swung the Angel Halo sword, the Human ducked under, only to get struck off balance when Alice redirected her swing and slashed along his back. The warrior caught himself by placing one foot forwards, and swung his shield arm back as he spun, smashing her in the body as she was caught off-guard, intending to stay behind him in his blind spot. Alice then flew at least several feet, before hitting the ground with a grunt. While she was not actually injured, it still rattled her senses, and the Lamia shook her head, as the Harpy Queen arrived, with several soldiers.

"My Liege, what happened?!" she exclaimed, shock on her face. Alice then pointed in the direction of angry chanting, and the Harpies saw Alices' opponent running at them.

"KILL! MAIM! BURN! KILL! MAIM! BURN! KILL! MAIM! BURN!" He screamed, his bloodlust and hate making the Monsters recoil at his yelling.

"He happened! Don't bother with any offensive spells like throwing a fire ball or hypnosis with him, he has some weird anti-magic enchantment placing on his armor!" Alice explained, and got up, dodging a chop aimed at her neck, and knocked him back with a abdomen strike with a pillar of rock. The Harpies then took to the air, their Queen readying a distraction by swooping at him while Alice recovered. The Harpy Queen flew just out of reach of his ax, then dived down and kicked the Human warrior. Her soldiers danced about, fluttering and dodging the rapid and frenzied Human. Once Alice readied herself and took a stance with Angel Halo as she dashed at the Human. The Harpies immediately got out of her way, and the Human warrior turned around and saw Alice was about to hit him with the Angel Halo sword.

He proceeded to block, only to be blown away as Alice, instead of slashing at his shield, shoulder slammed it, and screamed as she used her magic to enhance the force of her impact. The Human was blown away, flying into the air and crashing loudly as he tumbled over a hill. Alice groaned in pain, as she felt her shoulder had popped out of place from the recoil. As her regenerative powers snapped it back into place with a pop, she let loose a hissing sound as the Harpy Queen approached Alice.

"Are you alright?" the Harpy asked.

"Yes, but my shoulder is going to hit like hell." Alice explained. As they both looked at the body of the Human, his ax let out a feral snarling sound when one of the Harpy soldiers approached him. Suddenly the Human warrior got up, only to fall to his knee as he limped towards the stunned monsters. Upon seeing that the Human was still trying to fight them despite the amount of damage her last attack did, she spoke to the Human. "Are you seriously going to keep fighting?"Alice asked. "There is no way you can just keep walking after."

"For the Blood God..." he snarled, before smashing his hand into the ground."I. Will. Not. RUN!" he screamed, suddenly releasing a red aura of baleful light from the inside of his armor. As the Monsters watched, his body began to convulse and twist, and the Human suddenly arched over painfully. With a howling scream, he began to mutate into a creature that resembled a combination of a bear, and a gorilla, but instead of his armor breaking apart, it shifted to fit his new form. The helmet turned into an almost skull like covering, growing a mouth from which spilled out a tooth filled maw and a set of at least eight eyes glared and Alice and the Harpies, who were staring with open fear at what was happening. His torso expanded in size rapidly, the armor in that region warping and crackling with energy as various metal plates shifted, grew, or shrunk. His legs extended and bent backwards as he fell forwards with his mutating arms, feet elongating and widening to support his weight. The shield arm became bigger then the one, the block of metal he kept for protection becoming a part of it as it grew claws that tore gouges into the dirt. His ax fused into his other arm, and with a rage-filled screech, he charged at them, clawed hand grabbing at a Harpy soldier whp\o got to close. As she jumped back, she yelped as one of the claws slashed her mid-section, leaving a red gash.

As Alice found herself once again the former-Human's focus, it rushed at her, swinging its ax hand at her with a furious scream of rage. She parried the blow upwards with Angel Halo, and then swung at the opening it made around his armpit. She was able to land a cut, only to be forced to jump back to avoid a return stroke from the warriors ax, which almost sliced her eyes. As the Lamia looked over, she was forced to coil her tail close to her body, as the Human tried to stomp on it, likely an attempt to keep her in one place.

_Geez, not even other Monsters have tried attacking my tail. _Alice thought. _It seems Humans from the other world are more hostile and aggressive in general, and given his comments about me being an Elf, there may be other differences as well. _Using her coiled up tail as a spring, Alice launched herself into the air when the human suddenly grabbed at the ground and used his long arm to slingshot himself directly at her. As she over him, the Human roared in anger, and turned almost as soon as his feet touched the ground. However he knocked himself over and lost his balance.

The Harpy Queen took advantage of this and kicked him, sending him crashing to the ground. Before he could retaliate, she then grabbed at his helmet, and tugged on it. A snapping sound was heard as it popped off, and the creature let out a howl as blood suddenly sprayed from the helmet, causing the Harpy Queen to shriek as she was doused in the red fluid. She proceeded to let go to fly away, but not without unintentionally twisting the top part slightly to the left, breaking the Humans jaws now from the way his mouth was lopsided.

"What happened?" a Harpy soldier cried out, holding her spear as she took position next to Alice.

"His armor is fused to his body." Alice exclaimed in shock. "The Harpy Queen nearly ripped his skull in half." she summarized not voicing that that means they may have no choice but to kill the Human...

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**POV SHIFT**

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As Luka ran down the road, his heart was pounding. He was horrified by what he felt, and at some point he started to see the strange energies again. As he looked up to the sky, hazy blue crackling bolts of lighting danced across the heavens, along with the occasional beam of white light. Green rivers flowed through the ground, and entered the plant life. Luka could see this and more, and he just couldn't make heads or tail of it all. Somehow, despite how powerful Alice was, she could not sense it,so why could he? While running, he ran into a cloaked figure, who grunted, toppling over a basket of various fruit as they both fell. When Luka got up, he realized it was another Human, covered in a gray aura of some kind.

"Oh my god... I'm so sorry, here, let me pick all this up." Luka said, gathering everything, and then putting it in the basket. "Alright, I think that is everything." he said cheerfully, handing it to his fellow Human, who stared transfixed at the boy from under a hood. "Now, sorry I can't stay here, I will go and-"

"You can see me?" the Human asked, standing up to around five feet or so in height. They then got close, and Luka felt uncomfortable as he was examined. Suddenly the Human gasped. "Is your name, Luka Hein, son of Marcellus and Lucifina Hein, who recently passed?" the figure asked suddenly, pointing to the boy as they hunched over to be eye level. Luka paused, taken aback by the question.

"Ye... yes?" he muttered timidly. The Human looked around, and suddenly performed some sort of ritual hand gesture, which caused the gray aura to turn clear. Luka widened his eyes in shock, as he saw it was a man. He was dressed in a garb that was not recognizable with any modern clothing style, but he recognized the brooch symbol of a set of alternating rings of white and green, the green rings being broken with a white line, used to hold up a scarf of fox fur and and a cloth hood which was currently pulled back revealing a shock of golden hair, and a pair of dark amber brown eyes. The man wore a fur and leather outfit, with various plant vines that wriggled underneath. As Luka stared in open mouthed surprise, he took a second to let the words out of his mouth.

"You, are just like the stories mom talked about. But you were all wiped out."

"Not all of us dear Luka, in fact your mother was very much aware we still existed. But she knew that for our safety, we had to disappear from the worlds' eye, lest the Monsters finish hunting us to extinction." the man said. As Luka continued to stare, the man chuckled "Still, to think you would gain the Sight. But wait, Luka, why did you come back here? Where is Alice?" Luka winced at the mention of her, and explained how Alice got angry at him, enough that she drove him away. The man listened intently, and then sighed. As he just began to reply, he and Luka felt a horrible blood lust emanate from somewhere where Luka just came from.

"Oh hell, I think I know what that is." The man said, kneeling down and putting his hand on the ground, where several vines emerged from under his shirt, and burrowed into the ground. "...Damn. Luka, it is imperative that you back to Alice." he explained, causing Luka to stare at him incredulously.

"What, why? She hates me now." Luka said. The man sighed.

"Well, she has started to regret that and tried to find you, and I'm not going to give you two advice about how to proceed, since that is a conversation that you both should have in private. And due to the particular circumstances, I'll be coming with you in case you need aid." with that said, the man had the vines slick back under his clothing, and stretching out his neck. Luka then noticed thin lines trailing his skin.

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**POV SHIFT**

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As the Ubersreik Five ran for their lives, one of the Plant Monsters screamed something. Victor in particular did not care, and when an Insect Monster appeared in front of him, he shot two bolts, one into her neck and the other into her head, and jumped over the corpse.

The sounds of crunching meant at least one of their pursuers was slowed down, and the Ubersreik Five found themselves trapped when they entered a clearing, and realized it was a riverbed. Suddenly a tongue shot out, and wrapped around his ankle as a Frog Monster emerged from the water, pulling the soldier down.

"No!" Markus yelled, as Bardin and Victor both piled themselves on top of him, their combined body weight slowing the pulling enough for Kerillian to hack the sticky and mucus covered organ wrapped around his foot. That was not the end of the Monsters' punishment, as Sienna threw out a number of fiery darts at it, scorching the screaming creature until she jumped back into the river, swimming away in a panic as the Bright Wizard shot several more into the water for good measure. As Victor and Bardin got of the now wheezing Kruber, the Dwarf Ranger spoke.

"Kruk!" he cursed. "Coming to this place was a mistake in and of itself. What demented servant of Slaanesh decided to create these damnable creatures?!"

As he yelled in rage, Victor pointed to a cave, from which the stream led into.

"There, we can go in there and get out of the open!" he yelled.

"But if the Monsters follow us in, we will be trapped in that cave, especially if we get lost!" Kerillian cried out. Bardin burst out laughing.

"Never doubt a Dwarf Wutelgi! I can guide us as easily you can walk through this forest blind-folded. Follow me!" he yelled, pointing his ax to the cave as he ran to it.


	17. Chapter 17

**Vermin Tide Quest**

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Chapter 17

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As Undine went and peered into the flow of the universe from within her spring trying to figure out what was going on throughout the world, the Spirit of Water examined Erubetie, who was currently in the pool of water Undine maintained for the Heavenly Knight and the Slimes she was watching over. When Alma Elma appeared and dragged the Slime Queen away to save Granberia, Undine turned her attention to the battle that followed with the strange Rat-Men that were now referred to as Skaven, along with her sisters Gnome and Salamander and watched in horror as the fight went on.

Initially the battle that ensued was going as they expected, with in fact some behind the scenes help through Gnome collapsing one of the tunnels with the creatures in it. However, when one of the beasts with a Fire spewing device burned Erubeties' clones, the Spirits felt shock, as they could feel that this was not the same kind of Fire that Salamander had domain over. As the Four Spirits were all connected, Slyph also became aware of what happened, as Erubetie was not only burned by the flames of the not-Fire, but a large portion of the souls she collected were as well. While many, both Human and Monster viewed her as genocidal, Erubetie wanted nothing more then safety and sanctuary for her race, and thus was keeping them assimilated into her conscious mind to to act as a transport for them as well as protector.

And when the not-Fire burned her bodies, it somehow burned the souls contained within them as well, like wood being consumed by a raging inferno until it turned into dust, and obliterated them. Erubetie was then disabled by the sensation of her many many Slimes subjects being snuffed out by the attack, feeling the total and combined agony they experienced before oblivion claimed them. The Spirits themselves were mortified by this, and Slyph, as annoying as she can be, had the most visceral reaction to this display of callous destruction. For once, she she refused to move from her spot, babbling incoherently in the background of the minds of the other three until Salamander had to leave Gold Mountain herself to comfort the Spirit of the Wind. Gnome was currently unleashing her anger and rage on any Skaven that made the mistake of going near the Safina Region, but due to them currently flooding the entire area by tunneling underground, and having to restrain herself to not cause collateral casualties in either Humans or Monster populations, she could only do so much, and thankfully the Strangers were able to cut out the head of the snake of the Skaven invansion.

And when Erubetie came back, she was visibly more detached and depressed then she was before, with it being plain obvious even without reading her mind what the Slime Queen was thinking, as she went into Undines' spring to mourn the dead, who now were but as ash and half-remembered memories. The other Slimes that were around were now scared and frighten, their aloof Queen currently refusing to respond to any of their attempts to speak with her. Undine decided to give another try at speaking with Erubetie.

_Erubetie, I know what just happened to you was not quite... comprehensible, but your subjects need you now._

_Go away Undine. _The Heavenly Knight of Water 'growled' in response. _We've had this conversation a thousand times, I don't care what you have to say about my mourning._

_Erubetie. _Undine chided. _You became the Queen of Slimes for a reason, and that is to be their guardian. Right now, from their perspective, their guardian has seemingly abandoned them, and frankly, you and I both also know you have a duty that you are neglecting. I- _Undine paused, realizing that the Strangers that first appeared in front of Luka and Alice had found one of the secret entrances to the Spring. _Erubetie, we are about to have company. A Stranger from the other world has emerged._

_Are any of them Rat-Men or Imperials? _The Slime Queen asked. Her interest was definitely peeked. With this, Undine hoped she would get back on track to help her kin, and to satisfy their shared grudge against Humanity. As the short bearded Human ran ahead, with the other four close behind, Undine turned her attention to them, and was about to project her voice when she noticed something.

_Humans, do not... what in the world?_

_What's wrong?_

_The short man, I just looked at the universal flow, and it is actively being repelled by him. _Undine explained. _I've never encountered anything like this before, it is like the Elemental magics are being blocked from influencing him._

_So like a magic shield?_

_No, there is absolutely zero magic around him, and what latent energies there are around the short man practically refuses to be near him. Almost-like he has an anti-magic aura or something._

_Huh. _Erubetie then began to emerge, causing the Slime Girls nearby to turn and look at their Queen as Undine appeared next to her. "Guess I'll go see what this is myself." she said to the Spirit of Water, and then turned to her subjects. "Girls, stay with Undine. Our home is about to be invaded, and one of the invaders in question may pose a threat to you then may be assumed at looking upon them."

"Yes mi'lord." one of the Slimes said, bowing her head as the Slimes retreated to the water pool where Undine gave them refuge. As Erubetie walked, or more accurately slid away to confront the Strangers, Undine smiled slightly at her finally becoming more active, and prepared to watch the fight unfold with the other Slime Girls.

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**POV SHIFT**

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As Bardin was running through the entrance, he stopped and noticed the other four stopped. Upon noticing that they were unnerved, he ran over to them. When they turned and gave him their attention, he spoke up.

"What's wrong? Are you sensing magic of some kind?" he asked of the group, noticing the panicked look on their faces. Sienna looked at the Dwarf Ranger, and nodded her head. "Well then, what happened?" Bardin asked impatiently, drawing his ax and shield. "If it's another Monster, the five of us can handle it, I mean how many Rat Orges fell to being cut to pieces in our quest to save Ubersreik?" at that, the group looked at the Dwarf.

"I know, it the sheer amount I sensed along with Kerillain that made us pause Bardin. It was like I was drowning out on land, as whatever was in there seemingly spoke in the native tongue." The Bright Wizard explained. "Either way, we'll need to proceed with caution, and-" at that, the Ubersreik Five turned upon hearing a crashing sound, and saw that the Warplock Engineer they saw when first entering Plansect Forest pointing an armored claw and screeching at them in anger. A horde of Skaven ran around the corner, only to be stopped by a number of just as angry Plant Monsters coming out running head long into their flank, many of whom had burn scars.

"Into the cave it is then! They can only follow us in one direction, and that's inside!" Victor yelled as the fighting start, as the Ubersreik Five rushed inside to escape in the commotion once again. _Damn it, these things are too fast. If this goes on, we'll be caught for sure. _The Witch Hunter thought for a split second. However, he immediately quashed the thought, and began to chant a number of holy scriptures in praise for Sigmar, asking him for forgiveness for doubting that the Founder of the Empire would not provide a way to get them out.

As Bardin quickly took the lead, he led them through the underground tunnels, occasionally examining the various rock faces. At one point, he stopped to examine a wet spot of what looked like blue and green mucus of some kind, and had a perplexed look on his face. While the Dwarf examined it, the Waywatcher Kerillian walked over to him, and knelt down to look at it as well.

"What is that?" the Wood Elf asked, examining the substance. She did frown when Bardin touched it lightly with a gloved hand, as she could sense it well magical in some way or form, but could not tell how. As the Dwarf examined the substance, he then looked at a stream the group found, which flowed deeper into the cave. As he gazed into it and compared the water to the substance, he began to explain his findings.

"I don't know, other then it was some sort of slime, seems to be slightly acidic but not dangerously so, and absorbs easily into water. I recommend not touching it with your bare skin, and do not drink the water." the Ranger said to the others, "Because this stream felt like it was tainted with it, and I do not know what will happen if it gets in our bodies." As he was about to continue talking, a slurping and squelching sound drew the Ubersreik attention, and they began to recoil in shock at seeing the thing approaching them.

It was clearly one of the Monsters, but her body was made of the same slime that Bardin examined closely, with a glare that already spoke of hostile intentions with crimson eyes that had hatred written in them, moving in a manner that caused her amorphous body to resemble a well endowed woman, until her legs fused together at the bottom. As the Ubersreik Five got into formation by setting Bardin, Victor and Kruber in front drawing their melee weapons, Keriallian and Sienna prepared to fight at range as the Monster spoke, a close proximity to Reikspeil that made Victors' spine crawl at how badly pronounced it was.

"Yu... ar... trespsing. Leav us... or die." she accentuated. As the Five looked at each other then at the Monster, Kruber spoke up to Victor.

"Wasn't that Tamano creature able to speak fluently? You know how to flirt with the best after all." he added with a chuckle. Victor scowled at the State Trooper, but replied despite the memory of their encounter with her he brought up.

"She likely practiced, whereas this one didn't. Now then, we have a carriage to find, and she is an obstacle in our way." the Witch Hunter replied, then pointed his rapier at the creature before them. "We'll leave this spring of yours... after we deal with whatever you are." as the Monster scowled, her arms turned into blades, solidifying into hexagonal shapes as the two limbs froze up into ice.

"Ten.. de... death... it is then." the Monster said, her vocalizations of Reikspiel improving for a moment, though her words had an accent to them. "You'll not leave the Spring of Undine alive."

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**POV SHIFT**

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As Erubetie faced off with the Strangers, she noted how the three men in the front left gaps so that the two women, the Human Fire Mage and the Kinslayer Elf could attack from a distance, and already realized, though she didn't let her face show it, that these people have been fighting together for some time now. As she suddenly leaped towards the one called Kruber and caught him off-guard from the sheer speed at which she moved, he exclaimed in shock. The Elf fired one of her homing arrows, and the blue explosion sent a small amount of the Slime Queens' mass into the air. As she fell towards Markus Kruber, she slapped both of her blade together to form a single wide blade intent on cutting him in half.

However, he managed to evade the attack by dropping and angling his great sword as he swung it. When both blades clashed, Erubetie was knocked away from Markus, who grunted as he put his full weight behind the counter attack, which was just enough to knock the Slime Queen away from him as she reformed her body. She then saw him getting off the ground, having been knocked prone from the hit while Victor and the apparent 'Dwarf' as he was called Bardin formed a wall together to protect the soldier while he got up.

Another arrow followed by several dart shapes flew towards Erubetie, as she took the blows, reacting slightly with a grunt as she was struck with the weak flames cast by the Fire Mage. While Erubetie was weak to Fire, the attacks in particular Sienna sent at her were weak, and so she regenerated the injured parts of her body, only to notice the people looked at her, causing the Slime Queen to smirk slightly at their awe.

"See now how foolish it was to fight me now?" she asked, then went back to frowning as she then began to form a number of clone bodies whch formed next to her. When the Strangers turned their gaze to the Fire Mage, and she began to concentrate the fire at the end of her staff, and formed it into a ball shape. Erubetie tsked in response to this. "Honey, no amount of-" she was then interrupted by Sienna throwing the fire-ball into one of her clones, which was then destroyed as it blew within the Slime Clone, sending the gelatinous substance that made up the Slime Queens' body in multiple directions. "OH SHIT!" she screamed, recoiling at the sudden escalation of power the Fire Mage made, and realized she was reading another fire-ball spell already, a sadistic smile on her face.

_Damn, that was just an initial volley to hold me down! I have to take this Fire Mage down and absorb her into the collective quickly! _Erubetie realized with shock. When Sienna threw the second fire-ball at her, the Slime Queen proceeded to dodge the attack, sending her clones at the Fire Wizard, focusing them all on her. Upon pinning down the elderly Fire Wizard, the other four, instead of trying to save her, began to back off. While Erubetie began the process of melting down the clothes and injecting chemicals through the pores in the Humans' skin that would pleasure Sienna to disable her ability to fight her way out by causing the Human woman to reach Critical Ecstasy. She felt disgust, believing they were about to abandon their comrade, only to feel the Fire Mage doing something with her powers, and turned in time to see her clone bodies being destroyed by a massive explosion. As shock waves reverberated throughout the cave and vaporized her clones, the Slime Queen saw a wall of fire rush at her, and her eyes widen in fear.

Erubetie was able to avoid the worst of the blast wave by shrinking down, but still took a large amount of damage, mainly focused on her left torso. As she immediately began regenerating her form, the Slime Queen turned to see that Sienna was on the ground, as her companions ran over to her. The Fire Mage was clearly unconscious from the sound of her breathing, as Victor and Markus lifted her up, grabbing her staff and sword. Erubetie also saw that the Fire Mage was severely burned, and what remnants of her clothes were there were also scorched. When the Kinslayer turned and saw Erubetie survived, she drew her bow.

"The Monster's still alive!" she screamed, and released several arrows, which blasted several chunks out of Erubetie.

"Damn it!" she screamed, then cast Aqua Pentagon, and blocked the volley of arrows that struck her. Using her magic to keep it up as Bardin struck at it with his ax, Erubetie proceeded to fall back to the Spring, her body collecting the residual slime that was left on the ground and walls to speed up her regeneration. As Victor and his group made her recoil back and away from them, and pushed her deeper into the cave by keeping up a constant hail of attacks, the Queen of Slimes reached out telepathically to Undine.

_What the hell just happened?! _She screamed mentally to the Spirit of Water.

_I don't know, it was like their Wizard lost control of her powers the moment she reached Critical Ecstasy! Get out of there, I'll flood the tunnel and push them out! _Undine replied, and as Erubetie looked down, she saw that the rivulets of water on the ground were changing their flow, and teleported away just in time to hear a roaring sound behind her.

However, a sudden burst of Light magic appeared as a strange man with what look like tree bark in his skin appeared and grabbed all five of them, and then disappeared, taking them out of the cave. Erubetie stared in shock as she appeared in the Spring with Undine, who was just as confused about this as she was. As the Spirit of water turned to Erubetie, the Slime Queen finished reconstituting her body.

"What happened? One moment they were right there, and then poof they're gone." Undine asked.

"No idea. I think some new sort of Ilias saved them." Erubetie said, her voice laced with acid when talking about the Goddess of Light. "They looked like a Human, but were partially plant-like like a Monster." Undine stared in shock. The other Slimes were gathered around the two as they spoke.

"That sounds like a Druid." she said, causing the Monsters to look at her. "I thought they were wiped out by Kanon and her daughters near the end of the War between Monsters and Angels. If they were around all this time, why are they now becoming more active, and interested in keeping these people alive." Erubetie looked at Undine, who blushed as though she said something embarrassing.

"Hold on, why would Kanon herself be interested in hermits and quacks like Druids, let alone actively hunt them? Wouldn't they view her as the perfect symbol of how synchronized and united with nature the Dark Goddess' creations are?" Erubetie asked. "What relationship could they have with Ilias to begin with anyways?" Undine looked around nervously.

"I think we'll need to discuss that for another time, after we make sure there are no other possible intrusions." Undine replied, dodging the question as she regained her normal stoic and calm face. Erubetie glowered, but did not question it, as she knew full well that there was no way the Spirit was going to answer their questions. Even so, the Slime Queen looked on to her subjects, who were nervous, as this was twice that their Queen was put on the ropes by the beings from the other world.

"Your Majesty, what do we do if more of them come?" a red Slime asked of Erubetie. The Queen Slime sighed, and turned to her.

"I'll need some time to think of a defensive strategy for next time." she replied coldly. "In the meantime, you and your sisters should keep an eye out for anything inside the caves that are not from our world. If you encounter anything, do not engage it, even if it is a Human man. Instead, come get me, and I'll handle it. I do not want anything happening to any of you, and thus I will be the main line of defense for our kind." she explained. With that, the Slime Girls scattered to patrol the area, while Undine stared off in the distance, which meant she was monitoring the situation outside the Spring again.

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**POV SHIFT**

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Alice grunted as she was struck by another blow from the mutated Human, his clawed hand slashing into her skin like steak knives into butter. The Harpy Queen flew to try again at taking out the Human, her mangled dress ripped and torn in several places as she landed another kick to the creatures' legs. The thing turned, and backhanded her across the field, all around which the Harpies were standing back, shocked as their Queen finally gave up and fell back. It had been several minutes since they were first attacked by the Human, and while they made some work at whittling its armor down, in the end despite being cracked and dented the creatures armor plating was far from done, and the broken jaw of the former Human thing dangled uselessly, as saliva dribbled down from it as the Monster-Lord herself held back her full strength, trying to seal him rather then kill him, however it was starting to take its toll in the form of multiple injuries and wounds.

_Shit, whoever they are, their whittling down my body. I'll have to risk going all out, or be killed by him. _She thought, Angel Halo whimpering in her hands, as the aura of malice and blood lust the creature stared at her with sent shivers down her spine. Alice held her abdomen and stared at her bloody hand.

"Blood..." the creature growled, getting her attention, as it made a sniffling noise. "Blood. BLOOD!" it barked, then rushed at her. "BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD!" Alice jumped sideways, then cried out as several wounds opened up on her tail from overexertion. The thing turned upon landing and tackled her before she recovered, and then stabbed her in the shoulder, causing Alice to scream in pain as it began to chant. "KILL! MAIM! BURN!" it shouted, and then raised a fist, preparing to batter her to death with it.

"Hey!" a familiar voice yelled, and a rock hit its head, making the beast turn around and see Luka, along with another Human who Alice did not recognize, who had several vines appearing from his clothing as he took a hand to hand combat stance. "I don't know what you are, but you are not killing anything today." as the beast looked at him, it then pulled out its claws from Alices' shoulder. She let out a moaning sound, and turned to Luka as it ran towards him.

"IDIOT, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" she cried out to Luka, arm out stretched as far as she can manage. "GET OUT OF HERE AND RUN!" However, the beast leaped, flying towards Luka as Alices' eyes widened in terror, knowing Luka was going to die. To her, it was as if time slowed down, the thing flying at Luka like a giant suit of armor, about to crush the boy under its weight.

However, the second Human jumped towards the beast, and slammed into its head with an open palm, before a burst of Light magic was released from it. The blast was powerful enough that the creature was blown back, and crashed with a thud as the Human landed between it and Alice. As the beast got up, he turned to Luka.

"Go and get the Angel Halo from Alice! I'll hold it off!" he yelled, as the thing screamed in anger, and the man side-stepped the attack. Luka ran in a semi-circle while the two fought, the Human distracting it with similar attacks to his first one, each one making it flinch from being struck.

"KILL! MAIM! BURN!" it screamed, as it swung out a second attack with its ax-hand, and then another despite the barrage of hits the Human was pounding its armor with, which bent and warped visibly as the Human began to move like a blur, channeling a second spell using Light magic like the one he was using for attacking.

When Luka got to Alice, she was shocked and confused at what was happening. "Whuh?" was all she could manage as she stared at the scene before her. As he grabbed Angel Halo from her hands, he turned to her as it cooed at him.

"Ran into him a while ago. I'll be back." He then rushed at the beast, which most of its armor almost destroyed at this point, and was struggling to stand at this point, while the second Human was leaning on a rock, breathing heavily while gripping at a gash in his stomach.

"Finish it." he said, then fell back on it. While a Harpy got near. Luka stabbed the beast, which howled in one final rage filled scream.

As the magics which mutated the Human was expelled from his body, he began to regain his former form, and Luka stepped back as the suit also was disenchanted, another Daemon like the one that killed Nanabi emerged. It screeched for a moment, and then faded away, while the Human looked up at Luka, and then all around.

"Hey, are you-" then suddenly without warning, the Human man grabbed a shard of his armor, and tried to stab Luka with it, screaming as he charged at him. Luka countered the blow, and the man screamed as Angel Halo took effect. "Hey, stop that. No. Killing." Luka said calmly, keeping up a stern face as the Human man glared, clearly understanding what Luka meant. However, instead of surrendering, he took the shard and stabbed himself in the heart with it.

The others looked on in shock, as the man pulled out the shard. Luka widen his eyes in shock, while Alice and the Monsters were horrified by the fact the man did not hesitate for a second, and as he coughed out a gout of blood, he snarled something in a guttural language when the boy ran to help him. He punched Luka, knocking the Human boy on his back, and the proceeded to cut his throat, screaming out one final cry before blood loss began to set in and his vocal cords were cut, spraying arterial fluids out into the ground and Luka, who recoiled in disgust and fear.

After wobbling for a second, the Human man fell over on the side, his eyes growing blank while his blood pooled on the ground. As Luka took in what just happened, Alice turned to see a mob of villagers were coming to the area. She cursed under her breath, as her body, while already sealing up its wounds quickly, still needed time to fully heal. The Harpies however were getting up from the ground, and gathered around Luka, Alice and the strange Human, who was already up and walking at this point. After he drew something on the ground however, the symbol glowed and he disappeared along with it before they could ask him who he was.

"Awa! Did the Human leave? That's not good if his wound opens up and he is alone..." one of the Harpies said. They then quickly gathered around Alice and Luka, and pulled them to safety before the Ilias-Port villagers found them.

After about an hour or two passed, Luka had cleaned off all the blood that got on his clothes and hair, While Alice was stretching her newly healed body. The two were given a house which the Harpies let alone for them to recuperate and heal. When Luka saw Alice, he stared wearily, as she had been focusing on healing herself, and thus only now was responsive and active.

"Alice, are you sure you want to that?" he asked, getting the Lamias' attention.

"Its' fine, I only was as injured as I was from not going all out, as I was trying to disable them with the Halo." she said, before staring off in the distance. After a moment of awkardness passed, she turned back to the Human boy. "Sorry."

"Huh?" Luka turned around, and saw she was looking nervous about something what she was going to say.

"I'm... sorry for what I said. You weren't at fault for what happened to Nanabi, and I was blind with anger." she said again, as Luka remembered that she got angry with him, and accused him of being a murderer, and saw she was truly regretful of what happened.

"It's fine." Alice stared wide-eyed with shock. "I was not in the right state of mind either. The... what was that thing that controlled me called?"

"According to the Humans from the other world, that was a Daemon."

"Wait, one of them was in the area?"

"Yeah, he gave Nanabi a burial, and then wanted to leave back to rejoin his fellow Imperials before we could question him further about what he knew about the Daemons."

"...ok. Anyways, the Daemon was whispering things into my ear. I'd rather not repeat them word for word, but they were centered around me being a Human in a world where half of the things on it could kill me and other Humans with a mere flick of their wrist." Alice held her mouth shut, as she immediately knew what kinds of Monsters the Daemon was talking about.

"Hey, the Human I mentioned also left you an amulet." Alice said. "Do you have it?" she asked. Luka patted down at his chest, then pulled out the amulet Leopold left for him. Alice nodded. "Good, he did say before we sent him back that it would be best to keep with you while you sleep. Something about Morr interacting with your dreams and-"

"Wait, Morr? The Human mentioned him?" Luka asked.

"Wait, you met Morr?"

"Yeah, I had a dream where a man calling himself that appeared alongside Ilias. What's interesting is that Ilias seemed just as surprised to meet him as I was, and last I saw them, the two were having a conversation of their own." Luka explained. Alice listened intently, and nodded her head. After awhile of Luka explaining his dream, she spoke up.

"Hey, Luka?" she asked, getting his attention. "Shall we go get the Poseidons Bell?"

With that, Luka nodded his head. "Sure. I'll go get my stuff." as he walked away, Alice relaxed her tensed up snake tail. She had expected Luka to be more hostile, and even potentially holding a grudge against her, so his forgiving her right there was surprising. She was sure she'd wouldn't have been so merciful in his position, and often heard tales of how the Dark Goddess, while caring and doting to her creations the Monsters, was also famous for how she would go to any lengths to defend them. However, it always bothered her how Tamano taught her about being understanding about the positions of others, and noticing that the Dark Goddess would be brutal without reason. One such occasion was when Tamano talked about a Human King named Yamarion the Red, named for his bright hair.

In short, it was a story in which a Human King tried to appeal to the Dark Goddess to recall a band of Monsters which were attacking his kingdom. However, the Dark Goddess refused him, allowing the Monsters to run rampant and hunt Humans wherever and whenever they wanted, as the Monsters required Human semen to feed on to live as well as propagate their kind. When the Human King saw they were not listening, he took matters into his own hands and launched a crusade, which due to the fact the only advantage Humans had were numbers, turned into a bloody affair. Eventually, he escalated to a type of campaign known as a 'Scorched Earth' campaign, where his retreating forces would destroy anything and everything that could be used against them. Glades that housed Plant Monsters were set alight with fire, rivers were poisoned and polluted when his soldiers were being chased by Slimes, and many more destructive acts of violence were unleashed upon the land as Yamarion continued the fight.

Eventually, Alipheese Fateburn the First herself appeared, and the Dark Goddess unleashed her wrath upon the Human army, scattering them as she proceeded to utterly crush them. Those who were not killed outright were taken and dragged away to be feed to the Monsters as the Six Ancestors judged them for their crimes, with Yamarion himself being taken away by the Dark Goddess herself. After Tamano finished the story, Alice was bothered by the fact the Human King was made out to be the villain, as he was trying to defend his people, and how the Dark Goddess was the one who allowed her daughters to run free and act in such a barbaric nature. In the conversation that followed, Tamano talked about how it was made during the Monster Races' Golden Age, which ended when the Great War began between the Angels and the Monsters, and how it was a different time then the modern era.

Eventually, Alice concluded that if the Monsters are to co-exist with Humanity, she had to also take into consideration how the Humans would react if such things were done to them today, especially with Ilias goading them on to hate her kind. As a result, she declared that Monsters were not to use force to kill Humans unless it was in self-defense, something Tamano seemed to approve of, even if certain individuals in Monster society were offended and even insulted to be given such a command.

So hearing that Morr was having a conversation with Ilias was a cause for concern to the Lamia, as the Imperials were more then capable of holding their own against the Monsters as was demonstrated with their taking the castle she ruled from. When Luka appeared, she looked at the Human boy.

"Ready to go now?" she asked. Upon nodding, she smiled slightly. "Alright. Let's go get the Bell."

* * *

**POV SHIFT**

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As Tamano no Mae walked over to the shrine that was dedicated to her in Yamatai, she smiled as a Human man offered her fried tofu. Known locally as the Great Fox, she was one of four Monsters in the area that were widely worshiped by the Human populace.

"Thank you." she said, giving the man a smile, and wrapping his arm with one of her tails, causing him to almost sigh in pleasure. "I'm sure this will taste lovely, but I have some business to attend to, I'll attend to your... needs later, so I'll like to wait patiently then if you want to do it, ok?" the man seemed to be sadden by this.

"Ok." with that, she walked into a room that made specifically for privacy between her and anyone she brings in. From her kimono, she pulled out a lock of Nanabis' hair, and frowned. She proceeded to inspect one of the floor boards, and used the power of the Earth to loosen one of them, revealing a box that only she knew the location of, and held the key to open it within her fan.

Tamano opened it, and sniffed the insides to make sure nobody touched the contents inside, which would be a sign that someone discovered the box. Upon confirming it was undiscovered, she put the hair lock inside the box, which also had an icon of Ilias' cross on it, only the cross was placed on a set of alternating green and white rings, and had an emerald embossed with a flower symbol on it at the center. She inspected the amulets, which had been stylized to have a vine running along its silver lengths, as well as leaves and petals in a repeating pattern around the emerald.

After a few seconds passed, she placed the Druidic token down inside it, and then examined the small slip of paper inside, opening it to reveal a set of names on it. After examining it, she got a well of ink and a pen, and added Nanabis' name to it, put back in the box then locked it, and hid it inside the floor, and went back to go get the man who give her the tofu.


	18. Chapter 18

**Vermin Tide Quest**

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Chapter 18

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As Leopold walked into the historical library, Balthsar Gelt stood up, putting down a tome as he did so. The Priest of Morr could already tell the Supreme Patriarch was not happy, both from the fact he and Arnold were practically dragged off to the castle before they could hunt the Vampire down, and from the way the Gold Wizard walked towards him. Granberia was there as well, her legs having fully regenerated with Erubeties' help, though her legs were still scarred from the knee down, and weaker then the ones the Skaven wizard blew off of her. The Heavenly Dragon Knight of Fire was able to infiltrate the Monster Lord Castle, using the various hidden passages that the Monsters used to evacuate it during the attack, and thus was hidden in the rafters above the Humans. She had a general run down on how Alma Elma had a mental breakdown from what she saw from linking into the mind of one of the soldiers. Granberia, while she personally did not want to do a stealth mission had no choice, Erubetie had run off back to Undines Spring, Tamano was at Yamatai to mourn Nanabis' death, and Alma Elma... Alma Elma was not in a position to do it, so she was sent instead to try and spy on the Imperial leader after she got enough information from Alma to understand Reikspiel and know the names of the Human Wizards. Her goal was to spy on Gelt and the Imperials, as well as capture the Human mages if possible to answer for their crimes, who are both critical to their holding out against the Monsters, and the main threat they had to deal with.

She noted that like the Skaven wizard, the Humans outwardly showed no signs of their power, which has sparked a number of theories within the more intellectual members of the Monsters going over the descriptions of the battle that occurred about their magic. From what Granberia knew, the current and most accepted theory was that they were using elemental Spirits from their world, and because said Spirits use different Elements compared to this worlds, they weren't detectable. As the conversation started, Granberia laid down Aries on the beam she was on, her Dragon steel great sword which was designed to more efficiently channel Salamanders' Fire, and pulled out a notepad and pen from a satchel she was carrying with her.

"Leopold, what in holy Sigmars' name were you thinking, just running off like that with that Monster?" Gelt said, his voice echoing hollowly behind his mask, though Granberia could feel the anger in his tone. "The last thing I need is our only connection to Morr dying on me and my army, you didn't even know if it was a trap." the Priest of Morr merely shrugged, his face hidden underneath the hood of his robes, apparently used to hostility. Granberia cringed at the way some of the bones in Leopolds' robes clacked together against his body, the symbols of death reminding her of her slain companions, and wrote down the following for the eggheads to go over when she came back:

_**Imperial Human Leader known as Balthasar Gelt reprimanding Priest of Morr known as Leopold. Notable anger towards him assisting Tamano, believing it was a trap, but was not aggravated enough to actively execute him. Mentioned two names, Sigmar and Morr, possible religious significance concerning Sigmar based on wording and context of Morr being considered one of their Gods. Leopold is considered important by the Imperials, mostly likely due to his ability to send souls to Morr.**_

"She had lost a comrade to a Daemon of the War Beast. If I hadn't, not only would I be breaking the commandment to not refuse a request for burial, but one of the most powerful Monsters would've had her soul devoured. If the strength I felt from it first hand would indicate anything, saying no would've been bad in the long run, especially if multiple Monsters were slain." Granberia felt her spine crawl at the last sentence, while Gelt sighed in exasperation. As he spoke up, Granberia stopped herself from writing to pay attention and not make mistakes.

"How bad was the Daemon incursion, how much damage did it cause, and how was it summoned to the physical world from the Warp?" the mage asked.

**_Leopold responded with the same claim he gave when asked why he helped Tamano and our Lord Alipheese Fateburn the Sixteenth. Notably, he said that the Daemon served the War Beast, possible moniker for 'Blood God' from when the Daemon slew Nanabi. Of a most disturbing note, Leopold has claimed that the Daemons would have consumed Nanabis' soul, likely gaining a power boost of some kind from it. He also claimed not helping Tamano would have broken a commandment given by Morr stating that he was not to refuse a request to bury a body, and also felt a general idea of how strong Nanabi was. Gelt has responded by asking how much damage was done by the Daemon, as well as the scale and circumstances of it being summoned from a place known as the Warp.**_

"I was unable to ascertain who summoned it, so it likely was from a Human or Monster miscasting a spell." Granberia tensed up, her mind, while not the brightest by Monster standards, was quick to realize the implications of what they meant by 'miscasting' their spells. And given some of the complex movements Gelt was observed doing when channeling his magic, this was something that made her nervous. "As for the collateral damage, it seemed that the Monsters managed to contain the problem, which is not surprising given their general strength. However, they did collapse a cave, likely where the Daemon was summoned, so it was likely that any heretical cultists responsible for bringing it to this were... dealt with." Balthasar sighed, cringing visibly with his body language.

"Well, they may be a bunch of lowly and abominable parasites..." he snarled, and Granberia grimaced at the gall Balthasar had to call her kin 'parasites,' and had to hold back her anger as he continued. While he spoke, she imagined that most other Monsters would have gone on a rampage right then and there on the spot, and thus was sure that was why Alice chose her to spy on them. "...but they at least know not to trust the vileness of the Neverborn, and the Heretics that follow them. Which is likely why I haven't found any historical evidence of any mass invasions from Chaos in their history." he said. This caused Granberia to pause, while Gelt noticed the way Leopold glanced at the books Balthasar was apparently reading. "The pictures can give... context to what I am looking at." he explained, his disgusted tone palpable at the books he had been reading.

"What, so the Daemons and their mortal servants have never launched any massive attacks like in the Great War against Chaos, where they were defeated by the Empire and our allies from Kislev?" Leopold asked. Gelt nodded as he sat down, offering a chair while Granberia wrote down a summary of what was said.

**_Leopold responded by saying he believed the Daemon was summoned by what they consider heretics, and believed the local Monsters at the Treasure Cave collapsed the Treasure Cave of the Human Pirate Queen Selene. However, Daemons can also apparently be summoned accidentally if one is casting a spell and messed up in the process of doing so, making them a danger to magic-reliant Monsters like Succubi and Witches. Gelt has then mentioned and come to the conclusion that was why there has not been any massive invasion by Chaos, and Leopold mentioned a 'Great War' and their allying with what is likely another nation named Kislev when he asked if this was true. Balthasar Gelt is also studying the history of the world contained the Castles' public library, and is not amused with what he can gleam from the pictures in the books, which he has been reliant on for context. These Humans are egotistical enough to actually look down on Monster-kind, and at one point Gelt compared us to parasites. It is at this point that I had decided to beat his ass and capture him before returning to the camp so I personally can take him down a ladders worth of pegs.**_

"So, to summarize what I could figure out, these Monsters worship a goddess of some kind, who is an antithesis to the goddess of the Angel and Human races Ilias." Balthasar said, and at the mention of the Goddess of Light and Heaven, Leopold snorted.

"Wait, there's two of those freaks running around?" a lighting bolt cracked from outside, and the two Humans and Granberia looked out one of the windows, and saw an Angel standing there menacingly with an executioners ax behind it, and a sadistic smile. Granberia shuddered at the sheer amount of Light Energy she radiated at the Humans, as well as the way she licked the blade of the ax seductively. "Try me wench." Leopold snapped as he got up with his arms spread wide, as he channeled whatever magic to cast some form of illusion spell on himself, making the shadow of a giant raven outline his body with its wings spread out and cawed loudly at her. The Angel suddenly stared in horror and her skin paled even more then normal, and flew away. "That's what I thought." Balthasar snorted in laughter, and resumed talking while Granberia stared agape, wondering why the Angel was so scared of Leopold.

"As I was saying, there was a second Goddess, and she basically mutated some of the local fauna into the first six Monsters, from whom all Monsters can trace their lineage to. Somehow, this is considered a greater feat then Ilias making Humans, as it took her much, much longer to create them and the Angels." Leopold turned his head at Balthasar Gelt. "Yeah, the goddess that actually created two races from scratch, and is capable of propagating itself is somehow lesser to the one that mutated an already existing species, and whose creations require the handiwork of another god to sustain themselves."

"Wow, they really are nothing but a bunch of parasites." at this Granberia snapped, having had enough of the Humans, Growled softly. Taking the time to put her notes in her satchel, she then grabbed Aries, and let out a roar of pure rage as she jumped off. The Human magic-users looked up, and both dodged the incoming angry Dragon Knight of Fire, as her sword cleaved the chair Leopold was sitting in to splinters, which flew everywhere in all directions. Turning to them both, she then lit Aries aflame, holding it so the light made her hate-filled glare more intimidating.

***MGQ BGM: Granberia Boss fight theme***

"A mere parasite am I?! **ME, THE HEAVENLY DRAGON KNIGHT OF FIRE!?**" she bellowed in Reikspiel loudly enough to shake the whole room, and then pointed Aries at the two Wizards, who looked at each other. "Gelt, for besmirching the Dark Goddess' name, and for your crimes against her daughters, I am going to-" Gelt then raised a hand and snapped his fingers, and Granberia yelped as her sword suddenly became heavier then normal then slipped out of her hands, screaming in pain when it crashed on her foot, pinning her to the ground as she fell on her back.

***Music ends***

"Is that all you got?! Fight me like a man, you coward!" she screamed, and turned to see Leopold holding a bag in front of face. When he opened it, her vision turned purple, and then black...

* * *

**POV SHIFT**

* * *

After Leopold trapped the rambling Monsters' soul in the bag, he turned to Gelt. "You were saying about there being six Monsters every Monster hails from?" he asked. The Supreme Patriarch took a moment to get reacquired, then exclaimed as he remembered their rudely interrupted conversation, and continued on like nothing happened...


	19. Chapter 19

**Vermin Tide Quest**

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Chapter 19

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As Luka and Alice went down to Illias Port with the Posiedons' Bell in tow, the Goddess of Light and Ruler of Heaven, along with Sigmar and Morr watched the two, the Imperial Gods apparently having shown some interest in Heaven for reasons they have not quite revealed to her. Alice had to alter her appearance a bit more, making her hair shorter and a brunette color, her eyes a royal purple along with an illusion that made her appear to wear actual clothes, as Luka scouted ahead after Alice revealed how she revealed herself to the Human family. Promestein was questioning the two Imperial Gods, curious about the Human warrior they were attacked by.

"So, what is the Human Warrior that committed suicide upon being defeated?" she asked, of the two she and her Seekers of Truth having been abuzz with activity with this new opportunity. One of them, named La Croix actively avoided the two newcomers whenever she could, and even now stayed near Illias taking her own notes from a distance. Morr was unable to figure out why, as he and Sigmar seemed able to read her thoughts as long as she resided in Heaven. In fact, something was off about it, as it was flowing with the Wind of Qhayish like their world did with Dhar. Neither one of them knew what to make of it, and thus knew only a few of the other Gods from the Elven or Dwarf pantheons would know. Morr turned to the red-headed Angel, who sported a number of bruises from her beating delivered by Gelt.

"That _thing _is a Norscan. They're a group of Humans that live in one the northern parts of our world, called Norsca, a land corrupted and twisted into part of the Chaos Wastes. It is a reign of land that could be compared to Hellgondo, except more inhospitable and dangerous, for the lands there are ever changing, the physical rules of the universe broken by the Warp and treated more like guidelines, where the people there are brutal and twisted into abominations like the one that came here. If you are thinking of actually delving into the Warp and learning about it, don't try to make friend with the denizens in it, in the end you'll only suffer a fate worse then death by their hands." he explained. "And should you not be fully healed already?"

"A Monster would be." Promestein grumbled under her breath, still annoyed about what had happened. "So, one of the things he, the Norscan screamed was a chant to the Blood God. Who is this deity in particular?" Morr and Sigmar both examined the Warp, and noticed there was no activity at the mention of Khorne within it, and felt as though the entire dimension was disruptive to them in some manner. As Luka got on the boat with Alice, Morr replied.

"The Blood God goes by many names, similar to his brothers, but their true name is Khorne. A God of War and hate, he seeks nothing more then constant slaughter, and drives one to a constant frenzy and utterly despises magic. He is the most worshiped by the Norscan populace, who constantly plague the Empire and its allies when they go and raze cities to the ground, slaughtering those within without discretion like the Monsters plague this world." the God of the Dead said. "Many a soul were damned by their hand, and this is but one of the four Leopold mentioned."

"If the Monsters resemble the followers of... them so much, why allow Leopold to help them with Nanabi?" La Croix asked, and shuddered when Sigmar and Morr both stared at her with an annoyed glance, the mask she wore hiding her embarrassed expression as she visibly shuddered. "Because consuming her soul is bad, and we just covered talking about that five minutes ago, got it."

After some time passed, Alice was teaching Luka about the Demon Beheading Technique, and during the the conversation, Luka turned to Alice. When he spoke up, the Lamia focused on the Human.

"Hey, Alice, do you know anything about your father?" he asked. Alice thought for a second, before shaking her head.

"No, I never even met the man. While I'm sure Mother had... not given him a choice in the matter, given her personality, she didn't kill him at least. Monster society in general only really cares about the Mother Monster and her daughters, while any fathers are generally disregarded." Morr visibly scowled, and he got up and walked away. As the Angels and Sigmar watched, Morr exited the room, though all present could feel the anger he had as he exited the room they were in. Eden then walked in, having nearly been hit by the door.

"Did I miss something?" she asked Illias. She merely shrugged her shoulders, and turned to Sigmar.

"He himself is a father. His daughters are Shallya, Imperial Goddess of Mercy and Health, and Myrmidia, Goddess of Strategic warfare as opposed to my following centered around zealous fury, born of Morr himself and his wife Verena, the Imperial Goddess of Knowledge and Justice." Illias stared blankly. As Promestein wrote down furiously to keep track, the Goddess spoke.

"Wait, you're saying the Gods of your world are related, as in they're a family?" It was Sigmars' turn now to look at her in confusion.

"Yes, why do you ask?" after a few seconds passed, he widen his eyes. "...do you have any family members?" Illias looked down, and visibly seemed perturbed.

"I have had Eden and Lucifina, and one other..." she admitted. "How much of the history of this world do you know?"

"Admittedly not much, as we never saw the creation of the first Monsters and Angels for example, but we do know of where the major events took place and those involved with them went over the course of the Great Monster Wars." Sigmar replied. "We assumed that you and Alice at least had partners at some point, since most of the Gods from my world do." Illias looked at Sigmar, as though he grew a second pair of eyes.

She didn't get a chance to speak however, as Alma Elma then started to create storms and whirlwinds to try and capsized the boat Luka and Alice were on. However, the Posiedons Bell prevented that, and so as soon as she realized this, the Queen of Succubi descended downwards to confront Luka.

* * *

**POV SHIFT**

* * *

Luka stared at the Succubus that appeared, his Witchsight activating subconsciously so that a black aura was flowing around her. Luka visibly shuddered, but refused to back down as he drew the Angel Halo sword. Alice looked at her, and muttered to herself.

"I see your the Human that mi'lord Alice has taken a liking to. You look delicious." she said while leering at Luka, who looked at Alice.

"You are the Monster Lord?!" he shouted in shock. Alice face palmed, and groaned.

"Yes Luka, I thought you picked up on that when I shouted that I was a descendent of the Dark Goddess herself." the Lamia replied, while Alma Elma stared blankly at the two, a vein bulging at her forehead at being ignored.

"Oh. Ok then." Luka said, before turning back to Alma Elma. The Succubus Queen and Heavenly Knight of the Wind looked at Alice.

"Lord Alice...According to thy orders, I'll exterminate this self-styled 'Hero' who's been attacking our kin. Shall I execute your orders of defense?" Alice shrugged her shoulders as she turned to Luka.

"Sorry Luka."

"Wait what?!"

"I don't give exceptions. Alma Elma, you are free to go ahead, as I'm only observing him, not protecting or giving him special treatment. Besides..." she then smiled, "...Luka could use the practice." both Luka and Alma Elma stared at the Monster Lord.

"I... guess that is a yes." The Succubus said, before looking at Luka. "It do be like that, Luka-boy. I'm not letting you through this area." Luka stared unamused.

_What kind of nick-name is Luka-boy? I would have expected something more creative from a Succubus, especially when she is the current Queen of their kind. _He thought as he brandished Angel Halo. While he was... disappointed in her naming, she was still an enemy, even if she is at the same level as Granberia. "I'll just have to pass by force!"

* * *

***BGM: ALMA ELMA BOSS THEME***

* * *

"Ufufu... then how do you want me to do you?" she asked. Luka paused.

"Uhh..."

"Do you want me to my hand? Oh wait, how about my mouth? Or maybe... I'll my tail huehuehue."

"What?"

"Tail it is then.~" Alma Elma said in a sing-songy tone, holding up the prehensile limb. Luka made a growling sound, causing Alma Elma to raise an eyebrow. Alice however had a look of concern, before Luka calmed down.

"Fine, fine, let's just get this over with. Just the tail right?" Luka asked, the quick change of emotion making the two Monsters glance at him weirdly.

"Right, no hands, feet, or magic." Alma Elma confirmed.

"Good." Luka then immediately rushed Alma Elma, stabbing her with Thunder Thrust. The Succubus tried to dodge it, but was struck full force by it.

"Gyah!" she screamed. Alice was shocked at the aggressiveness with which Luka struck. While the attack did more damage then normal, Alma Elma was far from down. She recovered quickly, and her tail then tried to latch onto Luka, shooting forwards as it opened up.

While it succeeded in catching his pants, he quickly slashed it as he peeled it off with his free hand, reacting too quickly as he let out a burst of Light energy. As Alma Elma and Luka stared at each other for a bit, he moved to look around on seeing the look the Monsters gave him. The source of their confusion was the fact that he suddenly was moving faster then normal Humans, enough so take when Alma had her tail spit it mucus at him, he actually dodged it.

"What the hell?" she muttered before he ran up and slashed her with Angel Halo. Unsurprisingly to Alice however, he only did a minimal amount of damage, although the sudden boosts of speed he was showing made the fight one of attrition between him and Alma Elma.

Luka stayed just outside of Alma Elmas' reach, forcing the two to circle around the deck. She ran forwards several steps, and then had her tail shoot out, only to pull it back as Luka swung in response. Upon retracting, she then spewed out some of her more of her tail mucus like a liquid projectile and got it on his crotch. Luka made a groaning sound, as he felt his body slightly heat up from the feeling. Luka then retaliated, slashing with Demon Decapitation. Alma reacted in shock, as the boy was giving her a hard time despite his still low strength and experience, which Alice noticed.

About half a hour had passed in this manner, and he was proving to still not be strong enough despite the progress he made in whittling down the Succubus Queens' magic and mediated to calm and suppress his urges while simultaneously healing some bruises he got from Alma Elmas' roughly handling him. and eventually started climbing the mast, shooting up it and then jumping off and letting out a roar as he descended.

Alma Elma then used her hands to catch it in mid-air, and cursed under her breath. Luka stared at her in confusion.

* * *

***BGM ENDS***

* * *

"What's going on?"

"You won, I just used my hands." Alma Elma said. "Ah well, guess you get to pass then. See ya later Luka-boy, my Lord." with that she flew off. After a few seconds passed, Luka laughed.

"Ha ha ha, I did! I beat one of the Heavenly Knights Alice!" he cried out. Alice then sighed and was about to speak. "I know I know, she was handicapped, but I still won though!" Alice paused, and decided to let him revel for a moment, smiling in the meanwhile. When Luka glanced and her and paused, she realized this and went back to being stoic.

"You do still have a long way off, such as acquiring the Four Spirits and their powers. Now that I mentioned it, what was that magic you used to speed up?" Luka blanked out. "The Light spell you used to accelerate your body and mind to keep up with Alma Elma?"

"What do you mean? I was moving normally, it was you and Alma Elma that were moving slower then everything else, though it was usually for a few seconds each time."

"...what?" Alice asked. "But you were channeling Light magic, and it was centered on you specifically. That means you were the only one affected Luka." Alice explained, holding a hand out as she did so towards him.

"Wait, I was using Holy Magic during the fight, and speeding up as a result? Humans can do that?"

"Not normally, no." Alice admitted, before she sighed. When she looked up, Luka noticed she had rings under her eyes. "We can talk about it later, when this won't just drag on, and I'm starting to grow tired suddenly." she said, before heading inside the ship. Luka, himself feeling fatigued, followed her in.

* * *

**POV SHIFT**

* * *

Illias, Eden, and several of the Seekers had watched the fight with interest, and the Goddess turned to Sigmar, who showed renewed interest in the Human when he started dashing about.

"Is this a type of mutation from being possessed by the Bloodletter from earlier Sigmar?" she asked. The Imperial War-God shook his head.

"No, and I suspect it has to do with his Angel-half." Sigmar replied. "If it was a Pink Horror like the one that Alice exorcised from her own body and mind, then maybe I would dismiss it as that, but using magic like how Luka did it is something that Khorne would've never granted Luka." Morr then walked into the room, calm and stoic as he was before leaving.

"What did I miss?"

"Luka beating Alma Elma. Illias and I were discussing a bit of Light magic he used to accelerate himself." Sigmar said, and Promesteins' eyes glanced at his hand which was resting under his chin. She noted one of his fingers tapped in a manner that suggested it was a code of some kind, and glanced at Illias while holding a notepad. While the Goddess did not show it as she sat down on her throne, she herself through placing a hand on her knee so that the fingers were facing inward on her thigh, instead of outward like a normal person. Morr then suddenly turned to her.

"Ah well, I missed quite a show then. As it stands though, Sigmar and I have business to attend to, so we must be off." as they then disappeared, La Croix and Promestein approached Illias.

"What do you think?" she asked of them. Promestein spoke up first.

"They knew more about what just happened then they let on. Sigmar tried to sneak a message of some kind to Morr, and he suddenly responded by having the two leave. While I am convinced they were telling the truth that these awoken abilities of Angel sight and speeding himself up had to do with being the son of Lucifina, they omitted something in the process." the red-headed scientist Angel replied. Illias nodded her head in response, both hands under her chin.

"So it seems. We'll need to keep an eye on them both, as they may perform the roles I have set for them in my plans, but they clearly have agendas of their own..."

* * *

**POV SHIFT**

* * *

As Tamano entered the now torch-lit camp of the Monster war-band as night began fell upon the world, she turned to the Kitsune that came with her, of which there were five of them, along with a pack of Were-Wolves. They all came with her, the news of the Imperials taking the Castle having wounded their pride as Monsters. The Nine-Tailed Fox sighed to herself, as they were more concerned about their prides then in Alice. Tamano thought back to her past, and how she learned a valuable lesson in it that costed her dearly. Ever since then, she had been subtlety using various false alias' and identities to work Yamatai Village into what it is now as a village that Humans and Monsters co-existed in. Every now and then however, she had to go back there to make sure certain contentions that arose were settled down, including helping hide away any Humans being hunted by the more... voracious members of her kind. One of the new arrivals she had recruited, a Leech named Neria spoke up.

"Oi, when are we going to lay low these filthy Humans?" she asked, causing Tamano to turn her head and glare at the Monster, who shuddered in fear.

"That attitude is what started this whole mess to begin with, Neria. I suggest you drop it." the Heavenly Knight said sharply, ears twitching before she looked away. However, when she was walking away, Neria and her sisters in arms began to whisper, thinking they were out of earshot.

"Geez, she is normally not this aggressive towards us going after Humans."

"Yeah, why is she still trying to defending them anyways?"

_Damnit, because these Humans are more then capable of terrifying Alma Elma, which should give a hint as to why the ancient Humans weren't enslaved by my generation..._ Tamano thought bitterly, though she kept her mouth shut. The First Alice had her and her sisters perform many deeds, which Tamano had since regretted deeply, and she had to go into her own personal tent, where her new aide and right hand a Six-Tailed Kitsune named Feira with blue fur had already made a seat for her charge while she drank the last of a bowl of broth. In front of it, a desk was made where Tamano took care of the logistics on maintaining the growing camp. Feria had taken to dying her fur, hence her blue coloring, which was done today to look like stripes on her naturally red coat and brown tips. She was an oddity in that way, and despite that had been just as faithful as Nanabi was in helping Tamano in her duties. Although not as intellectual as her kin, Feria had been just as if not more so passionate in the ideas Tamano taught in Alice and her ancestors, as well as Nanabi...

"Mi' Liege, if so be... Tamano?" she asked as the Heavenly Knight passed by her, before suddenly gripping the desk by the edges, her grip on it hard enough to make it creak loudly as Feira stared. "That bad?"

"Yes Feria, my child. And I keep feeling things are going to get much worse..." Tamano said after she calmed down. "Has Granberia returned yet?"

"No, she hasn't." the Kitsune replied. "It has been at least six hours since she went on her mission, Knight Tamano. Should we-" Feria paused, noticing the Nine-Tailed Kitsune was holding onto her head. She was perturbed by this, then remembered that the Heavenly Knight had been growing more reclusive, and so sat down next to the Heavenly Knight of Earth. As the two Kitsune sat there like this, the flap of the tent was pushed aside and a Vampire poked her head in.

"Mi Lord, Alma Elma is here. The Hero has managed to bypass her." she said, then waited for a response.

"Let her in." Tamano said, at which point the Heavenly Knight of the Wind walked in. Feria then left, to make sure that there weren't any more intrusions.

"Hey Tammy!~" The Succubus Queen called out, then noticed Tamano. "Whoa, what happened? And where is Granberry?"

"Just give me a moment." Tamano replied. After calming down, she turned to Alma Elma. "Ok, so you were saying about the boy Alice has her eye on?"

"Well, he managed to beat me. Mostly because I handicapped myself to using only my tail." the Succubus Queen then proceeded to explain the details of the battle that took place. Tamano listened carefully, and found the fact that Luka was able to use what sounded like Angelic powers to be curious. The Nine-Tailed Kitsune concluded mentally that she would have to look into the historical records of the Great Monster War at some point, as she noted that it seemed familiar. Then, Erubetie appeared, and her look bespoke of being shaken by something.

"Betty? What happened?" Alma Elma asked, worry in her tone and face at seeing her friend.

"You know the Five that helped Alice and Luka at Happiness Village?" Erubetie asked. "I had a run in with them when they entered Undines' Spring, and apparently, when you put Human Wizards from the other world into Critical Ecstasy, they fucking explode." the Slime Queen said, emphasizing by making a fake explosion with her hands.

"Ohh my. How messy was it?" Alma asked with a sly face. Irritated, Erubetie slapped her with a tentacle. "Ow!"

"No, as in 'actual explosion' explosion." Tamono walked over to the Slime Queen, concern on her expression.

"How did you discover this?"

"I personally tried to kill them when they refused to leave. Their Fire Wizard was able to perform serious damage to my clone bodies, so I focused on her so the other four would have no way to fight back. When I caused her to climax and enter Critical Ecstasy however, she lost control of her powers, and next thing I knew I had to reform myself from near-death after a wall of fire shot out and vaporized most of my body and the clones in question. When I turned to the intruders, the Fire Wizards' body was covered in second and third degree burns, and the strangers tried to flee. However, Undine then attempted to finish them off by flooding that section of the Spring, only for a Human man to appear and pull them to safety. A man who Undine seemed convinced was a Druid." The Kitsune Knight twitched her ears at the last sentence, though the other two Knights did not notice this.

"Shit, and the Imperial Wizards are the main threat to any counterattack we make on the Castle." Elma said, suddenly serious to the implications, especially since Granberia is unaware of this.

"Correct, which was why I came here as fast as I could to report what had happened." Erubetie then noticed that the fourth member of the Heavenly Knights was missing. "What is Granberia?" after a few seconds passed, a horrid silence settled, as Tamano and Alma Elma looked at each other. The Kitsune was the first to step up and take charge.

"We got to go to the Castle now. Alice sent her to capture Gelt and the other two Imperial Wizards, as well as collect information on their forces." Erubetie cursed under her breath, as all three stood up. When they walked out, Feria was seen bowing along with several Succubi and Beastmen type Monsters.

"We couldn't help but over hear what was said. What do you wish for us to do now?" Feria asked.

"Stay here and guard the camp until we return. We'll handle this, and bringing a large number is more likely to attract the Imperials attentions." Tamano said, then pointed a finger at Alma Elma, who tried to sneak away. "That means you're coming with me and Erubetie Alma." The Succubus Queen groaned audibly, but reluctantly followed the Knights of Earth and Water. As they speed through the road to the castle, Tamano spoke up. "Now that you have calmed down, when you entered the mind of that Imperial soldier earlier, did you get any information about Balthasar Gelt?"

"Vaguely. Apparently he is some sort of adviser to an Emperor named Karl Franz, and is the head leader of an Imperial organization known as the Colleges of Magic." Alma Elma replied. "The Human in question didn't know much about them, but apparently the magic of the other world is considered a dangerous and volatile thing when in the wrong hands, which that one Wizard mentioned. As a result, the Colleges heavily control the use of Magic, and it is common for those using Magic and not a part of their ranks to be hunted down by another group called the Witch Hunters, sometimes even executed." She then visibly stopped, and shuddered as the others ran up to her. "One of the images I saw was a Human women caught doing such practices being tied to a bundle of oil-soaked wood and straw and then burned alive by one of these Witch Hunters. If the description of Victor Saltzpyre is correct, he is likely one of them." she finished, staring at Tamano and Erubetie as she sat on a rock. "I... I need some space." Alma Elma then stood up, and flew off to the side of road before she could be questioned further. Erubetie looked at Tamano, and seemed concerned.

"Witch Hunters? Normally, I would just pass this off as some group of Humans like Illias Kruz with bigger ambitions, but with what Alma Elma just described..."

"I know, these Humans have shown nothing but more reasons why we need to tread carefully, especially if they can defeat Monsters as strong as us." Tamano replied, before the two Monsters heard something like a cart. The Knights turned, and saw a cart with Balthasar Gelt on it, alongside him the Human in rags who wielded the Darkness Element was directing two horses made of darkness to pull the cart in one hand as he caressed his still bandaged arm. Two rows of Imperial soldiers with halberds were on either side of the cart. When they saw Granberias' unmistakeable shock of red hair, and her sword Aries sticking out on the back, Tamano and Erubeties eyes widen in shock and terror, as they could barely sense anything coming from her as the Humans stopped. Alma Elma returned, and then paled in fear upon hearing Gelt chuckle, turning to see the same sight herself.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" Gelt asked smugly. "It seems I just found the rest of the Champions of the Monster Lord set to further complete my new collection of golden statues of the Heretic Goddess' Abominations..."

* * *

**POV SHIFT**

* * *

_Several hours earlier, inside the Monster Lord Castle_

* * *

Balthasar Gelt had gathered together his army commanders, the Priest of Morr, and the Grey Wizard Heram Wulfhardson, who was still nursing the broken arm he got from Alma Elma as Gelt learned her name to be. As they sat around a table, the Humans began to talk with each other about their plan, now that it was discovered that Gelt and Leopold had captured one of the Monsters' champions. This was discerned by how she was found in a painting with the Monster Lord sitting in a throne while her oddly small court of only four surrounded her with topics to discuss.

"What do we do now, since the Monsters are likely going to attack us before we can shore up our defenses in preparation for a siege." Gustavous Smith, Regiment Commander of one of the Handgunner units of the troops that came with Balthasar Gelt. The man had an bandage covering his left face, the result of his personal Handgun misfiring and hitting his cheek with the stock during the battle inside the castle when a small Fireball spell was lobbed at him and and missed.

"What defenses?" Karl Black, who was in charge of the Spearmen and Halberdiers Regiments. He was currently stretching his legs while sitting in a seat meant for a bigger creature then him. When the Monster that attacked on her own appeared, she bowled over Karl during her own stand against them, and Karl still held a black eye from the attack, as well as several cracked ribs. "We don't even have any of the Cannons, our food and water can only be replenished by raiding what is likely to be Monster-held territory, and half the men in this castle can barely stand, let alone fight because either they have been tortured by the beasts, or got smashed in by that demon in the skies." he ranted with a tone of dejection and defeat. While the Supreme Patriarch was not willing to just lay down and die, he knew that low morale and faith was just as deadly as any sword or cannon shot. As a result Gelt held up a hand, silencing the pessimistic State Trooper.

"We have several advantages the Monsters don't even realize we have over them however." the golden mask Wizard said. "One of them being we have captured one of their greatest swordswomen of their time yet."

"Only because she was dumb enough to point a giant-ass slab of metal at you my lord." Karl muttered, causing Gelt to narrow his eyes.

"Be that as it may, from what we know of the Monsters, they are used to being the top of the food chain, and have developed egos the size of the World's Edge Mountains. As a result, they are no doubt chafing from the fact us 'lowly' Humans kicked their asses in what is supposed to be one of their most strongly held fortresses yet, and while there is much we have yet to figure out about them, they know absolutely _nothing _about our situation. This can be discerned by the fact this Granberia was sent to try and acquire information on our numbers." Balthasar then showed a note book and pen that was found on the Dragon Knight before she was put in a cell. Currently, she was still held captive by the Soul Jar spell Leopold used on her, the Priest of Morr currently monitoring the bag she was contained in. The Imperial commanders all looked at Balthasar as he continued. "For now, we need time to hold out against the Monsters, and I have an idea to stall their continued preparations, as well as cause fear to spread into their ranks..."

* * *

_Now_

* * *

Gelt found himself staring at the other three champions, and had almost panicked upon seeing that they were here. However, he was able to calm himself down just as swiftly as they tensed up upon seeing their fellow Monster Granberia was on the cart.

"...now, what shall I do with you?" he asked, keeping up the appearance of this being planned. _Shit, are they alone, or is this an ambush? _Was more alone the lines of what he was really questioning himself, while the Grey Wizard Heram shuffled in place, ready to whisk himself, Gelt, and the Halberdiers away if everything got shot to the Warp and back. Even so, it seemed the Monsters weren't ready to call his bluff, as the one that attacked the castle on her own earlier was testament to.

"GRANBERRY!?" she screamed, as she started to move forwards, only to back up as Gelt channeled Chamon, causing the Wind of Metal to swirl around him. Upon closer notice of her attire and body, the Metal Wizard wondered if she was a Chaos Cultist of Slaanesh. "What did you do to her you bastard?!" she yelled, as her wing spread out preparing to take flight, making several of the Imperials back up. However, Balthasar was not having a repeat of what happened at the Monster Lord Castle.

"You will stay right the fuck there or or your friend here dies!" he barked while pointing a finger, causing her to freeze up in terror. Well, if she was one, he imagined that bastard Sigvald would be face-palming at how easily cowed she was. Her two companions rushed up to either side of her, while the Halberdiers formed a wall in front of the cart, the polearms forming a defensive semi-circle as the spikes at the top were pointed at the Monsters and the flanks of the cart. A bit further back, a formation of swordsmen and Handgunners were catching up, the swords ready to defend the rear while the Handgunners wrapped around the cart to cover all angles of approach. Balthasar let go of the Wind of Magic, allowing it to dissipate into the surroundings. "Your friend here made the mistake of attacking me and Leopold head on, and that is why she is my prisoner."

"Leopold helped you? But he was willing to help with-"

"Just because he is willing to bury your dead does not mean he is on your side. A Priest of Morrs' loyalty is to that of the God of the Dead, and the Empire of Mankind. Besides, given your apparent long life, you should be familiar with how loyalties between nations can change in an instant." the Supreme Patriarch interrupted. The semi-liquid one frowned, her one visible ruby eye tinged with hate, apparently trying to make the Imperials cower in fear.

"Bastard. You have a lot of gall to think you can get away with this, especially if you think Illias is going to save your wretched hide." she snarled, while Balthasar Gelt inspected his fingers. What few records he had to work with depicted this creature as some kind of amorphous mass, which dissolved its prey through whatever composition its body is made of, likely acids and some catalyst compounds. This one admittedly required the most calculations to Gelts' response, while Heram whispered to himself, preparing a Shadow Bolt.

"And you have a lot of gall to think I even have an iota of respect left for a Goddess that makes Stromfels look like a caring deity." he retorted, causing the Monsters to stare at him in shock at how openly this Human would criticize a deity as powerful as the one Illias claimed to be. "After I found that dungeon full of men and boys that suffered your _tender mercies_, I lost what little willingness to even put up a front of worshiping her." he then stared back at the Daemon and semi-liquid Monsters, who visibly grew apprehensive under the judgmental glare he gave them. The fox woman placed her self in between them and Balthasar Gelt. He noted that she seemed to considered long-lived even by the standards of the Monsters, having been around for at least the third, possibly second Monster Lord. Even so, the Supreme Patriarch was able to find that someone had taken considerable effort to hide her identity and erase anything that would likely trace her origins.

"Look, I know you are angry, but I'm sure we can settle this in a way that would be in the interest of both parties."

"Like what? I stay back and let your kind run amok pillaging and plundering my fellow Humans' works, and then lay down and surrender my dignity to the first of your beastly kin I run into?" the woman twitched her ears, and frowned lightly when he pointed a finger at her. "I have been going through this worlds accursed history, and I may not know your written tongue, a picture is worth a thousand words." at that point, the semi-liquid woman spoke up, her cerulean gelatinous body shifting as she made her arms cross over her chest.

"Oh, and just how badly did you butcher and misinterpret this worlds history?" she asked hauntingly, while the fox woman winced.

"Erubetie, don't." she said, turning her head as her fur bristled. Gelt merely scoffed at the Monster, and gave his reply.

"It goes a little something like this: this world was never made by the two Goddess' who reside over it, however they have created the many races which inhabited the world today. One of them, which is the Goddess of the realm known as Heaven goes by the name Illias, and to this today reigns over it as the self-proclaimed queen of this world, where Humanity believes she created them and the Monster races, who were her failed prototypes. However, it wasn't always this way, for while she did make Humans, had no hand in creating Monsters. That sin goes to her abomination of an opposite, whose name I have not, and will not bother to taint my mind with the knowledge of." already this caused the Monster called 'Erubetie' to raise an eyebrow, although she visibly ticked at how Gelt referred to her creator, while the fox woman bit her lip, worry and concern in her eyes as the man continued. "She began to take the local fauna and flora, and combined them with the Humans Illias created. Like Illias she failed any times, but not as many times as Illias did until the First Six Monsters were made from her efforts, doing so as though she was wielding and sculpting them from clay. However, they were flawed, requiring the essence of males to breed and feed upon. Instead of giving her creations husbands to live with and teach them restraint and form their own civilization like Illias did with Humanity however, the Abominable Goddess set her six creation loose upon the world, not once batting an eye as they murdered, raped, and tortured as they pleased." this got a reaction out of the Monsters, who began to grow agitated. However, one of the Imperials putting their pistol to Granberias' head was enough to placate them. "Overtime, the First Six began to berth their own daughters, and there was the occasional male Monster, but either the Goddess was blind to this fact, or never cared that her kind were stricken with this flaw, as it compelled the new Monsters to constantly seek out mates form the Human populace, as instead of fixing the flaw within her creations reproductive systems, the creator of the Monsters actively hunted down and slew those Human champions Illias made to stand and fight back, rather then lay down and die as was commanded of them. Illias herself eventually grew angry, as her people were turning away from her, and bending the knee to her opposite instead of her.

"So, she created the Angels, and declared a war of extermination against the Monsters, and obviously she was less then successful. However, both Goddess would come to a realization, along with their most trusted lieutenants that if the war went on, the world would be damaged irrevocably, so the Dark Goddess sealed herself and the First Six Monsters with her, on the condition that if the Monster population was lowered beyond a certain threshold, she would be unsealed. Illias to this day kept her hand away from punishing the Monsters, all while ignoring your actions to this day for that reason." at this, Balthasar was finally finished, leaving the Monsters who stared wide-eyed at him. "Now then, tell me, how accurate was I?"

"Well, you're not wrong... for a Human." the Erubetie murmured, putting up a false veneer of not being shocked or surprised by Gelt. The fox Monster seemed to look away, as though remembering something shameful, while the third fidgeted with her tail. "What are you planning to do with Granberia?"

"Ah yes, your friend here." Gelt said, get off of the cart as the State Trooper who put his pistol on the Monster in questions' head stepped back. As he stepped up onto the back, he began to explain what it was he brought her for. "As it stands, Leopold currently has her soul contained in a bag. Your friend here is not dead, yet, but now her life is in the palm of my hand." he then proceeded to gesture to a State Trooper that was sitting in the back, and the two men then carried the Monster and unceremoniously dropped her over the side, making the Monsters cringe. It was then that Heram showed the bag in question which was hidden in his robes, and pointed a knife at it. When the Heavenly Knights flinched, several of the soldiers tightened the grips they had on their weapons.

"This is the bag in question, as you no doubt confirmed though your version of the Sight it seems." the Grey Wizard said. "As long as you do what we say, Granberias' soul will be kept inside. Don't obey, or get uppity with us, well..." Heram then placed the knife on the bag, making the Heavenly Knights cry out.

"What kind of leverage do you think you have?!" the nine-tailed fox Monster yelled out. " You yourselves are aware that killing too many of our kind will release the Dark Goddess!" Balthasar wasn't quite sure, but she seemed genuinely shocked and terrified of the idea.

"Seems you find the idea of their release being at least a bad thing for the world at least, so there is that leverage." Heram stated. He then looked at Granberia, "and it seem you care for her life as well, so you three are personally involved. So, unless you want Granberia to be sent to Morr, you are going to listen to Balthasar." Gelt had to hand it to Heram, he was good at keeping himself calm and collected, as this the main crux of their plan, as two State Troopers carried the Dragon Knight of Fire by her arms to the other Monsters.

While releasing Granberias' soul will kill her, yes, there was a catch: the Soul Jar spell would only kill the Monster if her soul was allowed to be free if released outside of a 20 meter radius from her body. Until then, there was a chance that Granberia would make it back into her body before death can claim it. And so far, they had not figured out anything of the sort. When she was set on the ground, Gelt turned and lifted Aries, using Chamon subtlety on it to make it light enough for him to hold one handed without making it obvious that he was using magic to make the sword temporally lighter.

The Monsters stared in shock, with the fox and Daemon Monsters even developing beads of sweat as Balthasar walked up to Granberia, and released the enchantment he placed on the sword, causing a clunking sound as he dropped it next to the Dragon Knight, who set the creature down about 5 meters away from the bag. The State Troopers walked away with Gelt, and stared nervously out of the corner of their eyes, not letting the Knights see their faces lest they figure out there was more to what was going on. However, as Gelt looked at Heram, he paused upon noticing that the Wind of Ulgu was flowing behind the shadowmancer, and moving closer. The Grey Wizard noticed, and performed a Destroy Illusion spell as he jumped off. The front part of the cart was destroyed, as another Monster looking like Erubetie appeared and scattered the State Troopers formation before being blasted with a Shadow Bolt.

"Shit." it muttered, causing Balthasar to look at her, and his eyes widened in shock when the winged Knight took flight. Immediately the Daemon Knight rushed him, and the Supreme Patriarch reached into his robes.

* * *

***BGM: TOETIN SIE SIE FROM PUMPKIN SCISSORS***

* * *

"Hold the line!" he yelled while throwing down a chunk of gold, which turned into a shimmering golden cannon and blasted the Heavenly Knight away from him. The Fox dashed past him as he prepared to stab Granberia with the Staff of Voluns' butt end, dragging her body away before he brought down on her skull. When he looked at where the the blue liquid Monster was, he watched as a Handgunner shot at her. Not only did the bullet travel through the creatures body without doing any real harm, one of the State Troopers on the other side grabbed at his head and fell over dead.

_The Warp be damned! _Gelt cursed mentally as he blocked a follow up kick from the fox Monster with a Chamon-based magic shield. _They were too coordinated. Either they were communicating through some form of enchantment, or I was the one that got baited into a trap. _Heram fired another series of Shadow Bolts at Erubetie, keeping the Monster busy as she tried to grab the bag from him, ignoring the attempts to block her the State Troopers put up with their spear wall by sliding in between the gaps in their ranks. However, the Grey Wizard suddenly reached out and touched her face as she slid past the last row of Halberds, and the gelatin fluid that made up her body to suddenly froze and shimmered as gray tendrils of Ulgu wrapped around the creatures' 'head,' and the creature lost control of herself as its body splashed onto the ground, forming a pool of liquid as it drunkenly struggled to rebuild her previous form. While the State Troopers cleared out and began to search the skies for the Daemon Knight, the fox woman cried out.

"Alma, the bag!" she screamed, and Gelt turned just in time to see Heram getting impaled through the chest by the Daemon Knights' arm. As he dropped it, Alma immediately snatched it, or she would've done so if it didn't disappear, along with Heram himself. The Grey Wizard reappeared behind the fox Monster, who he then stabbed in the shoulder with a knife. Alma widened her eyes in shock at the scream the Beast-Man kin made in response, and the fluidic Monster began to redouble her efforts as Heram pulled the blade in his hand out and stabbed the Beast-Man again, this time in her lower back. She then retaliated against the Grey Wizard with an elbow to the stomach, and the shadowmancer fell forwards to the ground as she jumped away from Gelt, falling flat on her back as pain overwhelmed her, and she turned to see Heram fired another casting of Shadow Bolt at her as a rank of Handgunners formed a firing line to add their fire to the attack. The magic projectile struck the Monster in her arm as she cried out in pain, and the beast leaned over Granberia, shielding both herself and her companion from the hail of lead that followed by wrapping into a ball made from her tails and summoning a magic barrier as Gelt turned the Golden Cannon he summoned on her as well, only for Alma to fly down and save her before it could fire.

When Alma smashed it by dropping down hard and fast, the cannon exploded, sending the Wind of Metal in multiple directions. Alma herself was unscathed, and emerged from the dust that was kicked up heading towards Heram a second time, her tail opening up and flying towards him and Gelt. Guessing what she was doing, Bathasar took a stab at it with his sword, then feinted so he could so he instead pointed the sword, causing Alma to scream as she accidentally cut her tail on the blade, and the limb shot back before Gelt could perform a draw cut on it to make the sword bite deeper into it. When it retracted away, blood began to leak from between the flower like folds of flesh as the Daemon-Knight staggered while holding onto it. Balthasar raised his sword, and had Chamon pour out from the eyes and mouth of his mask to make it look like he was one of the chosen of the Imperial Gods about to strike her down with their vengeful wrath as Alma paled in terror and fear.

A shout from one of the State Troopers then showed that Erubetie had recovered from the mental attack Heram used on her, as Gelt was knocked over by one of the Reiklanders sailing through the air with a grunt. The Grey Wizard, now seeing he was being attacked by multiple Erubeties, then proceeded to create multiple clones of himself, each of which ran in different directions after they all showed they carried a copy of the bag containing Granberias' soul.

Erubetie and her clones scattered as well, and Heram appeared next to Gelt, who had just managed to push the Imperial soldier off of him. While the various duplicates were occupied trying to figure what was happening, the fox Monster recovered, and seemed to quickly realized that they were tricked, and began to channel her magic while Alma teleported a short distance away. When they all stopped and turned to the two Wizards, Heram spoke.

"I do believe discretion is the better part of valor." the Grey Wizard said. "I hid the bag just now, so let's leave before reinforcements arrive and we're drowning knee deep in the dead."

"Agreed." Gelt said. With that, he put a couple fingers in his mouth and whistled to draw all the Imperial Troopers he brought with him. After they huddled together into a formation, Wulfhardson proceeded to summon the Bridge of Shadow, which grabbed the Imperial force and sent hurtling away quickly just as the Knights were about to unleash a barrage of spells on the Humans, only to hit nothing but thin air...

* * *

***MUSIC ENDS***

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**POV SHIFT**

* * *

"Damn it! They got away!" Erubetie screamed in anger, While Tamano inspected Alma Elmas' tail wound, the Succubus flinching in pain whenever it opened up. As the Kitsune examined it, she saw that there was a gash across the center of it, from which the bleeding had already stopped. Granberia was set down with her back against a tree, Aries laid across her lap while her opposite peer the Heavenly Knight of Water hung over her, the silent Slime Queen holding her breathe.

"This should heal on its own just fine without any scars. I'll get some medicine however, just in case." Tamano replied after helping Alma Elma clean off her tail, her own arm already regenerated. She then stared worryingly at Granberia, and then spoke to Erubetie. "Think there was more to their imprisoning her?"

"Definitely. That Wizard that was with Gelt tried to run off before attempting to release Granberia during the battle." the Slime Queen replied. "I missed most of the battle after he messed with my head with that attack. What in all happened?"

"Well, from what I could tell, the Wizard that was fighting alongside Balthasar seemed to specialize in illusions, and is a high-level one as one as well. I stabbed him through the chest, only to discover he managed to sneak up on Tamano somehow, which should be all but impossible considering the power of Gnome allows one to sense where people are." Alma said, before she began to rub her head. "Even remembering that much is difficult however, and I know for a fact Gelt and the other Imperials were not that distracting from my goal of saving Granberia. If I remember correctly, that Wizard was a Grey Wizard, and are generally known to have the ability to disrupt and disable the senses of those looking for them. Powers like that would be useful for assassination and reconnaissance." the Heavenly Knights then focused their attention on Granberia, and noticing she was still alive, but unconscious. "What do we do now?" Alma asked.

"Well, someones' got to take her back to the campsite, may as well be you." Tamano replied.

"Why me?"

"You didn't want to come with us to begin with." Alma Elma opened her mouth, then closed it. As she lifted up Granberia, Erubetie turned to Tamano.

"What about Granberias' soul?" she asked. Tamano held up the bag in question.

"Two can play at the kind of mind games the Grey Wizard was pulling. When he did that duplication spell, I was able to semi track the real one using the power of the Earth Spirit Gnome. While you and Alma Elma were busy going through the fake clones, he tried to hide it, likely in case he got caught."

"Hmph, that's what he gets for trying to pull a fast one." the Slime Queen retorted.

"Don't get cocky. Remember when I was checking their speech for any form of deception? From what I could sense, they were telling the truth when they said that Granberia will die if her soul is released, but Gelt left important details out. So we'll need to guard it closely, and try to prevent this from happening a second time."

"Seriously, are you going to defend them, especially after that tirade about how Alipheese the First and her daughters were abominations?" Erubetie growled. She visibly froze various parts of her body, forming them into spikes as cast a glare at Tamano.

"Betty, this is not the time to start fighting each other." the Kitsune said, trying to soothe Erubetie as she place a hand on her shoulder. However, the Slime Queen batted it away.

"Do not lecture me about making peace with the Humans, especially the Imperials. They have pushed well beyond the line, first by attacking us in our own homeland, threating Granberias' life and trying to use it like some kind of political pawn, and then finally having the gall to insult Dark Goddess Alice and the Ancestors!" Erubetie yelled. "I've spent my entire reign running from Humans polluting my kinds' home, and I will not run any longer from this golden masked freak!" she then continued down the road.

"Erubetie!" Tamano cried out.

"Betty, we have what we came for, let's just go!" Alma exclaimed. Tamano then reached out to the Succubus and pointed to the Monster Camp.

"Alma Elma, go to the camp, and get the army here, now. I'll try to get Erubetie to calm down."

* * *

**POV SHIFT**

* * *

As Balthasar poured over everything he could acquire about the fluidic Monsters, he was starting to panic. A post battle roll call had revealed that when the Monster named Erubetie slid her way through the spear wall to get at Wulfhardson, her body burned the Imperial soldiers flesh, as well as ate partway through the armor, leaving a number of deformed and mauled equipment and men in her wake.

_That accursed wretch! _He thought. _One of the books showed one of those things dividing in two after it gained a significant amount of nutrition, and plenty of water, you idiot... wait, water. _Gelt then looked out to the foyer and walked to the triage room. When he got there, he examined the wounds Erubetie inflicted on a soldiers, his plate armor which had pits and discoloration. Wounds that were similar to acid burns... Balthasar suddenly snapped his fingers, as an idea formed in his head on how to combat Monsters like Erubetie.

And it required alkaline chemicals...


	20. Chapter 20

**Vermin Tide Quest**

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Chapter 20

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While the State Troopers were running back and forth acquiring the chemicals Balthasar requested, he was going over the layout of the castle with his military advisers. Currently, Karl and Gustavous were arguing over where to put the men found in the dungeon, specifically in where to place them. The smell of bleached and harsh cleaning supplies like lye was thick and heavy in the air of the library, and the scent was something that caused many a wrinkled nose among the Humans inside, which included the Greatswords, Leopold and Heram. Gelt himself resisted the urge to scratch from how his robes irritated his skin, and started to regret not waiting to treat everything until the last minute.

"If we put them back in the dungeon underground, we can bottle neck the Monsters that try to go after them." Karl said, pointing at the one entrance the dungeon had in the blueprints. "A spear wall will more then be sufficient to-"

"Absolutely not!" Gustavous yelled, slamming a hand down on the table they were using. "You may as slather honey on them and throw them over the walls when the Monsters get here! Gelt, we can place them through the upper rooms here, here, and here." the commander said, pointing to several of the spires while Gelt looked down at where he pointed at them. "They may be more spread out, the fact the Monsters designed the castle in a standard fashion means they will be more then effective on keeping the Monsters confined with their spiral staircases, and work to our defense more then that death trap underneath us all."

"But then we will have to worry about aerial Monsters breaking in from the top down. If they do that, there's no way we will be able to save those taken by the aerials before they take of, not to mention the potential of collapse that can occur. The dungeon is the one place we have to place them in, and without worry of multiple angles of attack." Karl countered, waving towards the blueprints in general. A runner then knocked on the door to get the attention of the Humans.

"Patriarch Supreme, we have found both a set of food storage rooms which will help ease our food problems if it is untainted, and a laboratory. The lab has something we may need your expertise on." the Imperial soldier said. Gelt then sighed as he got up from his seat.

"Put half of the men in the dungeon, and spread the other half throughout the castle rooms, but laid out in a manner that will allow them to escape. If the Monsters break us, at least some of them will survive." the Supreme Patriarch said to the two commanders. "The upcoming battle will see many of us die even if we fight the Monsters off no matter what, that much is clear. But I'll be damned to the Warp if we just lay down and die."

"Thy will be done mi' lord." Karl said as he and Gustavous both saluted, both clearly not satisfied with what his order. Gelt then followed the runner along with several of the Greatswords to the laboratory. As they walked, the Gold Wizard spoke up.

"What exactly did you find in the lab?" Balthasar Gelt asked. The Imperial soldier looked at the gold-masked Wizard.

"Well sir, the lab is not open yet. But the door is made of steel, and we were able to somewhat see into the room through a glass window. It seemed to contained a number of uniquely male Monsters." Balthasar stared curiously at the runner.

"Male Monsters? Are you sure?"

"From what we could determine, yes. From what the Human men we freed from the dungeons indicated, there are times of Monsters giving birth to sons, but it is extremely rare, and the culture of said Monsters generally result in their male-equivalents dieing out young while their full potential has yet to be realized due to being hunted like Humans. This lab was found when one of the patrols we sent to investigate a contradiction between the blueprints and actual construction of the castle was discovered from the testimonies of the men held here." Gelt remembered then that the recovering men were learning Reikspiel, and most were learning faster then had been anticipated. "According to them, a nine-Tailed Monster called a Kitsune that was named Tamano was the one behind it all." Balthasar stopped at this, recalling the fox Monster that attacked him and Heram earlier. He scrunched his mouth at the thought of what the Beast-Man could have been doing for whatever 'science' as their kind defines it.

After a brisk walk in silence, they came upon a room which was arranged to look like an armory, and saw one of the weapon racks was moved aside to reveal an opened trapped door, where a ladder and shaft made of metal was being watched over by a Handgunner. Gelt and the runner descended downwards, their footsteps echoing as they entered a hallway with a steel door which had been closed off with some strange device. Thankfully, the Imperials had Balthasar Gelt the Supreme Patriarch himself, who wave a hand as he cursed the metal door with the Plague of Rust, causing the steel to turn a reddish-brown as it began to flake and whither away. After a few seconds, the two Humans stepped over the pile of destroyed metal, and inspected the lab.

Balthasar saw that it was high-tech, to the point that it was beyond even the Dwarfs as far as he knew. This raised a great many questions as he gazed out upon various glass pods, each big enough to hold a fully grown adult man in a liquid of some kind. However, they were all filled with only boys, whose mutated forms all had wires and tubing attached to them while screens and windows showed various information that Gelt maddeningly couldn't even begin to process. However, it was clear many of the creatures could sense the two pure Humans, as they stirred and moved about in reaction to their proximity. However, Gelt noted they did seem to fear him.

_Well, they likely know that I'm not one of their accursed kin, and thus are aware I am not planning to devour them. _Gelt mused, then stopped upon coming upon one of the pods being empty. _Now what is supposed to be in here? _He thought, then both Gelt and the soldier with him turned upon hearing a pattering sound.

Drawing his sword, Balthasar gestured to the State Trooper to go around to the other side of one of the rows of pods, while one of his Greatsword escorts went with them. Gelt moved to the far end, pointing out where he wanted the men-at-arms to go, until they had set up a search net. The Humans then proceeded to walk slowly down, each of them keeping within arms reach of their neighbors as they swept the room. Eventually, Gelt saw a tail similar to that of a lizard, sticking out behind one of the containment units and grabbed it, causing the Mutant it belonged to cry out in fear as he brought his sword to its neck, stopping just short of killing it. The Mutant immediately stopped and surrendered in fear with clawed hands up, as Gelt took a closer look at it.

It was more akin to a Skink from his own worlds' Lustria then it did with the Monsters, though it had a shock of bleached hair, and a of teeth and tongue within a reptilian maw that was definitely Human. Its eye were unblinking spheres of green, with black dots for pupils. The Mutant was wearing a simple shirt and shorts of white cloth, while black and brown scales covered its arms and legs. From what Gelts' arm could feel through the shirt, it seemed to be covered in the chest as well, unlike the so-called 'Dragon' Granberia whose scales only covered her arms and legs. Upon seeing that Gelt was not killing it however, the Monster strangely seemed more confused once it realized Balthasar was not a Monster, as a Greatsword walked over. He looked at the creature, then to Gelt.

"Sir, what do you plan to do with it?" he asked. Balthasar turned his head to the Imperial.

"This thing is not like the ones we encountered. I'll check to see if there's more of them." the Wizard then pushed the Skink-like Monster to the Greatsword. "Keep an eye on it. I'm going to see if there's more of them."

"Why not kill it now?" the Skink Mutants' eyes twitched slightly, which Balthasar pretended not to notice.

"In case it has hidden regenerative abilities or some other ability." Gelt replied. Suddenly the creature spoke up.

"No... kill... please." it said haltingly in Reikspeil. Balthasar and the Greatsword turned and looked at the Monster, as it began to shift and change its body.

_By sigmar, how fast do these things learn? _The Supreme Patriarch thought as the Monster mutated, and turned into a normal Human boy. The Greatsword turned and looked at Balthasar, whose mind was already running with a thousand questions.

"What in the Warp is this?" the Imperial soldier asked.

"Looks like we have a long discussion ahead of us." Gelt replied...

* * *

**POV SHIFT**

* * *

As Luka stepped off the ship with Alice, the two looked around Natalia Port, noticing the coastal town had a population of both Humans and Mermaids. Luka was mildly but pleasantly surprised, as he heard of how southern Sentora was more anti-Monster, but the Human population gradually becomes more friendlier the further up north one went.

"Hmm.. this place is lively." Alice noted, as the main street which was filled with people, both Human and Mermaids, who moved on land by slowly 'walking'. At this point, one of said Mermaids called out to them.

"Would you like some Mermaid-made grilled starfish?" she asked of the two travelers.

"Uh... Alice?"

"According to the book, Port Natalia is a port town with Mermaids that are considered residents."

"But," Luka said, turning to the Mermaid selling bizarre and strange foods, "your clothes are ragged... is someone treating you badly?"

"Hahaha... no, I am simply not making much money." the sea Monster said. "If you feel sorry for me, you can always buy some of my grilled starfish!" Luka, now noticing that Alice was starting to salivate, bought some and gave it to the Lamia.

"Well, so far it looks like that Humans and Monsters are getting along here."

"Where shall we go to now?" Alice asked, then she bit into the starfish. The next few moments were spent with the two discussing about heading to San Illia, when a Mermaid approached the two.

"Excuse me mister, but would you be willing to listen to my story?" she asked Luka.

"Yes?" he asked, but before the Mermaid could continue, an explosion was heard."What!? An explosion?!" the ground then shook, while a building collapsed somewhere.

"THE SCHOOL! THEY'RE ATTACKING IN THE SCHOOL!" someone yelled, before the Mermaids all began to run to the ruins. Luka and Alice followed, when the tell-tale sounds of certain Imperial weapons being used could be heard, along with shrieks and screams that came from Skaven throats.

**BANG! BANGBANG!**

"By Illia! How did they get here before us?!" Luka cried out, while horrified screaming acompanyed what sounded like battle. When the two ran over to see, they see the main plaza was turned into a war-zone, where a group of Skaven were fighting the local militia. However, there was a third group that were engaged in the fighting, among them was...

"Saltzpyre?! Lazarus?!" Luka cried out, recognizing Lazarus and Saltzpyre, who were back to back along with several members of what could only be Illias Kruez, wielding a number of weapons and armor, within the same style as Krubers, but with most of the armor pieces missing. However, when Victor turned, Luka saw it was a completely different man. When he saw the Angel Halo, he grew a look of rage, and pointed the strange hand-held weapon in his hand at Luka. Lazarus looked over as well, as his eye widened in shock and disbelief, causing Luka to freeze and hesitate.

"WATCH OUT!" Luka was suddenly tackled by Alice,who screamed out as they were hit in the leg, a crimson hole bursting and bleeding onto the ground as she fell in pain. The man in the same uniform as Victor was suddenly pushed by Lazarus, who turned to the men and women.

"FALL BACK! FALL BACK AT ONCE!" he yelled, and threw it into where the Skaven were most gathered in the plaza, fighting a number of Mermaids and militia-men that were cornered against the ruined school trying to get the Monsters inside to safety. As it exploded, killing those caught in the blast, it then also ignited, leaving a wall of fire that began to burn the rubble of the buildings, and terrified screaming could be heard.

"The school! Someone has set the school on fire!" a bystander screamed, and when Luka turned to where Lazarus and the strange man that tried to kill him were, they had disappeared, the only clue of where they went being a sewer grate that was partially opened. While the crowds

_That bastard! _Luka thought, as the edges of his vision started to turn red. _He had the gall to attack children, all so he wouldn't be caught and made to pay for his crimes! I'll run him through for this, I swear by... by... **someone!** _Luka made a growling sound as he grabbed at his head, causing Alice to become concern, as she was extracting the lead ball that the Imperial shot with her hand.

"Luka!" she exclaimed, seeing the Human boy start to look like he did when the Daemon back in the Treasure Cave. "SNAP OUT OF IT!" she yelled, causing Luka to flinch back into reality. He looked around, and started panting.

"What the... what just happened?" Luka asked, and turned to see that Alice had already pulled out the lead ball the Imperial weapon shot into her. While her fingers were still wet with blood and her leg was still healing, Luka turned to inspect it. "Hold on, shouldn't this heal all the way already?" he asked.

"I slowed it down so no one would notice..." Alice, then hissed slightly as Luka placed his scarf over the wound. "Ah! What the hell Luka?!" she cried out, then turned to see he was tying it over to act as a bandage. While it turned red, Luka nodded

"There, now you can heal without anyone noticing." he explained, "Lets continue on, before he gets away..." Alice suddenly grabbed Luka, as she stood up using him for support.

"No, we rest here. You're too worked up, especially after all of that." Luka then noticing that he was shaking and sweating.

"I'm fine..."

"No, you are not. We're renting a hotel room, now." Alice countered, removing Lukas' scarf. "Lets go clean up first though."

* * *

**POV SHIFT**

* * *

As Ulreik was dragged away from the surface screaming inarticulately, Lazarus found Ulboro walking to him and the others, meeting up with them as was planned. He stared curiously at the Witch Hunter, and looked towards Lazarus as he rested his blood and gore-covered hammer on his shoulder. The Illias Kruez members came to Natalia Port to kill off a group of Skaven they were tracking down, with Ulboro having split from the group to kill off anything and anyone that was going to get in the way of their planned escape route.

"What happened up there?" he asked.

"Your Witch Hunter friend took a shot at one of my friends' son, that's what happened!" Lazarus yelled. Ulreik calmed down, and he and the Sigmarite Priest exchanged a brief talk in Reikspeil. As it was seen the Witch Hunter was no longer kicking and screaming, the two men carrying

"Ulreik says that kid had an artifact of Chaos with him. It resembled a sword that was made depicting a number of the beings you call 'Angels' being tortured." Ulboro replied.

"The Angel Halo? Yeah, granted it is an unholy abomination of a weapon created from a group of Angels that were melted down, but it is not of Chaos. And if you want to know why, when I went to Hellgondo with Marcellous and..." Lazarus stopped for a moment as various conflicting emotions started to play, while Ulboro watched patiently. "the Angel Halo sword is a weapon that will only kill if the user wills its attacks to be fatal. When I was part of a party of four, we survived being attacked with it by the last Monster Lord, and were only sealed by it. She kept unsealing us no matter how many times we kept attacking her, until she finally was killed. However, we learned later on she had planned it that way, and tried to spread a message of peace and co-existence out of regret." Ulboro raised an eyebrow.

"Something happened then." he concluded, then turned to repeat what was said to Ulreik. The Witch Hunter glared accusingly at Lazarus, and for a moment it seemed as if he was planning to stab him. A quick look from Ulboro quelled any thought of doing so. Lazarus nodded as he replied.

"Yeah, her daughter happened. She attacked us with the very same Halo sword, and with it she slaughtered Merlin and a women named Karen me and Marcellous had a rivalry over. As a result, we founded Illias Kreuz, seeing that there was no chance for peace. As for how Luka fits into all of this, he is Marcellous' son." Lazarus finished, while Ulboro turned to Ulreik and translated what was said. The Witch Hunter then ranted for several seconds, as Ulboro looked back to Lazarus.

"If Luka has the Angel Halo sword, where did he get then? Presumably the Monster Lord would've had to give it to him, and Ulreik doubts that it is something to be taken lightly if that was the case. Even if you were not, the taint of Chaos is one that often subtle, patient, and waits for just the right soul to corrupt. It is entirely possible for the Daemons and their Gods to ignore nine men to corrupt one, and that one they focused on turns out to be the key to drag a hundred to their maw." Ulboro replied. He then set a hand on Lazarus' shoulder, as a look of sympathize sadness creased his features. "I'm sorry, but if it does indeed turn out that the Daemons of Chaos are after Luka, he might have to die lest this world be consumed by the Ruinous Powers. If it comes down to that, we cannot afford to hesitate or have doubts in our convictions. Heed my words, and let your mind and heart accept the truth in them..." with that, Ulboro let go of Lazarus, and the group moved on to their headquarters in silence.

* * *

**POV SHIFT**

* * *

As Erubetie prepared herself mentally for battle, she stared out at the castle walls. The Slime Queen was hidden in the brush of the forest, which much to her anger was driven back by the Imperials cutting down much of it, where they constructed what appeared to be temporally repairs to the holes in the walls from when Gelt and Promestein fought. The Slime Queen scowled, her anger now driven deeper at the destructive power these Imperials casually waved around.

"Erubetie." Tamano said, causing the Heavenly Knight of Water to turn sharply to the Kitsune. "We need to regroup with the army. If Gelt and his company can fight us off, what makes you think you stand a chance alone?" she asked, while the two Knights watched a couple of State Troopers play some kind of game with a couple of boys who were clearly released from the dungeons. Leopold could be seen with Arnold inspecting the graves of the dead that were buried by him.

"We can't afford to wait any longer." Erubetie countered, pointing out the defensive fortifications. "They have been digging in deeper and further out, such as clearing the trees so they spot us from farther out. They are also putting down various spiked barriers, likely to force any Monster on the ground to go where they want. We don't know about how they plan to fight anybody that comes in from the air, but with their fire-spears they no doubt have some plan to utilize their usual firing ranks."

"Erubetie, we both know this is not about the Imperials." Tamano said, causing Erubetie to crease her eyebrow. "As... belligerent as the Imperials can be."

"Belligerent? The Imperials no doubt will try to exterminate us if we don't kill them all here and now." Erubetie hissed, visibly growing agitated. "I'm not sitting around to wait for them to finish their preparations." Tamano closed her eyes and sighed.

"I am not saying we are running back. Alma Elma is on her way with the army, so at least be patient and let them come here." The Kitsune said, setting a hand on Erubetie, who turned to look at her. "And I've also said it a thousand times already, but you need to not let this anger toward humanity rule over you. Black-"

"Black Alice allowed herself to rage and refuse to let go of any wrong committed against her, blah blah blah..." Erubetie said, though her sarcasm was underlined with her calming down slightly. The Slime Queen inhaled deeply as she looked back to the castle, then her eyes widen as she looked up at one of the windows. "When in the name of Alipheese Fateburn the First did Gelt get into your lab?" she muttered in shock.

"What?" Tamano followed Erubeties' gaze, and her eyes like a hawk focused on the general area of the library, where she eventually saw Balthasar examining a number of male Monsters, a number of the Imperials' knight equivalents acting as an escort. "...Please let it be that Illusionist found us and is just fucking around with us." Tamano muttered under her breath as she channeled the Earth to look for Heram as she recalled Balthasar calling him. Upon locating Heram being somewhere on the other side, she sighed. "Damn... Gelt did indeed break into my laboratory. The Giganto Weapon doesn't seem to have been discovered, as the room I keep it in has not been breached. I'm using the Earth to get a general idea of the state my lab is in right now."

"Any clues as to how Gelt broke in?" Erubetie. "The door was made of Dragonsteel like Granberias' sword, so it can't be that he melted it."

"Well, from what I can tell, he somehow disintegrated the door. I can sense the entire laboratory entrance has been destroyed, but none of the ground around was effected by what he did. The only clue I have is the weight of a large amount of flakes of rust..." Tamano trailed off as she spoke. "...I think it just clicked as to some of the basics of the Magic on the other world works. They might not be using Elemental Spirits."

"What?" Erubetie asked. Tamano spoke up.

"The Imperials do not use Elemental magic, but some ofter form of Magic that works under similar principles since they all follow one aspect and stick to it. For example, Leopold who was willing to send Nanabi to their afterlife. He wields power over death, but instead using his power for necromancy, he ensures and enforces it upon whatever he is casting his spells upon. Heram is using a power similar to Darkness, but it is not Darkness in and of itself. He manipulates the shadows and mind, creating illusions and making his enemies hallucinate to disrupt their cohesion." Tamano explained. Erubetie developed a look of understanding.

"Meaning Balthasar Gelt is a manipulator of metals, maybe even alchemy. Like when he turned entire regiments into statues of gold, or recently by making the door to your laboratory rust away into nothing." she finished. "So the Four Spirits can't even make a judgment call on their magic, because the Imperials are not even using the same system we are using."

"But then if that is true, how is Balthasar able to cancel Promesteins' magical attack when she cast it?" Erubetie asked. Tamano rubbed at the bridge of her nose.

"I have a theory, but it would require the Four Spirits themselves confirming it,and that is we technically are using the same source of magic, but the Four Spirits act as a form of power regulator." Tamano replied. She then proceeded to turn to the Slime Queen to explain further. "From what you seen, that female Fire Wizard was burned severely when her powers ran out of control, right? We know that every Monster is incredibly power, both in physical and magical prowess, and we carry these powers innately from birth. However, the Four Spirits are the ones carry the power of the Elements Earth, Wind, Water, and Fire, and thus can control who wields them. At least, that is what we are taught concerning the Four Spirits and they're interactions with this world." Erubetie developed a look of contemplation.

"You think this is only a window into the relationship between us and the Four Spirits?" she asked.

"Exactly that." Tamano replied. "We know little about the Four Spirits themselves or the afterlife, and while it is true that this because we have had no reason to be concerned about such things. Yet apparently in the other world, there are other creatures that are almost a predatory version of the Spirits, which are dangerous enough that at least one of the Gods from the other world has to dedicate itself to protecting the souls of those who die from said creatures."

"The Daemons that the Imperials seem to fear more then even our kind... you think they're related to the Four in some fashion?" Erubetie asked. "How id you come to believe this is so?"

"Well, it more or less started with when Luka was being controlled by one of these Daemons. It was like when I scryed the Hero Heinreich when he had all four Spirits alongside him. However, it was not until now that I gave any more detailed thought, though it had bothered me how the Daemons seemed to able to bond to even Alice so easily. Then, there was the fact Alice described to me how the Daemon that tried to control her was able to seal her magic in an attempt to get her to be assassinated and pin the evidence solely on Luka doing it alone."

"Which was rather half-assed considering that it relied on the Monster Lord dying to a mere Human." Erubetie said.

"As far as we know, that was just their first step in their plans for our world." Tamano said. "It was possible they were invested solely on Luka, and Luka alone."

"Right, because the future sight of Morr revealed that if this Human falls to them, our fates will be to be slaughtered alongside Illias and her Angels at the hands of Humanity after it goes and genocides both of our races." the Slime Queen said, skepticism dripping off of her face. "And the Humans of our world believe the Angels and Illias are their protectors and saviors."

"Erubetie, you really to tone it down." Tamano responded, as the two watched examine the mouth of what appeared to be Andreas, the Lizardman boy that Tamano remembered being brought in. During her time, the Kitsune Knight of the earth had been collecting male Monsters that managed to survive, so that she could try and study how they would grow and mature if they were allowed to reach adulthood. "In either case, we can't let Gelt study the Monster boys for whatever purpose he has in mind, that much is clear. If you can distract the Imperials, I'll evacuate them to the shelter." Tamano said. When she had first purposed this to Alipheese the 15th, the past Monster Lord had a secondary shelter built to house the males if anything happened to her and her daughter, and or someone like Cassandra became the Monster Lord instead and tried to go after the males Tamano found. The Heavenly Knights, with the exception of Alma Elma, were kept in the know about these projects by Tamano and Alice the 16th. The reason Alma was the only one not aware of this was because she and the other Knights didn't trust her not to screw over the research project in some way as par for the course of her idea of fun.

"Alright, so what do I do things hit the fan?" Alma Elmas' voice said. With a sigh of frustration, the Kitsune looked at the Heavenly Knight of the Wind. The Succubus was keeping a outwardly normal look of casual bravado, though she was still tense, likely not wanting to be near the Imperials. "Feria is watching over Granberry, and I couldn't help but overhear the conversation about your laboratory. Did you keep me out of the loop?"

"Yes." Erubetie said, glaring at the Succubus.

"Were the male Monsters the reason you never allowed me to enter at all?"

"Yes. And if you wonder why Erubetie was still allowed to know about it, she does not going around watching the world burn for fun, or twist what Alice said to the degree that you do." Tamano replied. "That has a tendency to cause trust issues." Alma was about to try and refute the last statement, before she closed her mouth and look at the ground.

"Be that as it may, what will the plan be now? I suppose I should mention that the army will be here in about fifty minutes if they keep up the force march to the castle, so we'll need to get them out of there and to the second shelter in less then that." Alma Elma replied.

"You had them force march to speed things up?" Tamano hissed, her fur bristling.

"I didn't know Balthasar was going to break open your lab, let out all the Monsters inside out, and throw in another party that is likely to get caught in the cross-fire once the fighting breaks out doing so." Alma Elma said. When the Knight turned, she saw that Gelt was looking in their direction with a device of some kind. "Um, I think he starting to realize something is wrong." she said, gesturing to the Human Wizard.

"Let's go, before the alarm is raised. It's clear that just running in is not going to work. Not without heavy casualties." Tamano said, and the Knights turned and left. As the two Knights of Earth and Wind were speaking however, Erubetie scowled, and lagged behind.

As Tamano and Alma Elma were conversing, the two were laughing about a joke between them. "What do you think about going to check on Granberry Eru..." Alma paused, and she and Tamano looked around. "Oh bugger." the Succubus said, as she paled.

* * *

**POV SHIFT**

* * *

As Balthasar examined the tree line with his telescope, he furrowed his mouth. He could have sworn he saw movement just a second ago, and his Witchsight was going haywire in telling him that something was there. However, he saw none of the Monsters' heavily corrupted auras, or any of the heavy and corruptive Black Wind of Dhar that seemed to be magnetically attracted to their souls.

_Is this some sort of Monster trickery? Are they trying to evaluate what I do to these creatures, and plan to attack to make it look like they are trying to protect their kin perhaps? _Balthasar thought. It would not be the first time he or someone else had political agendas behind the battles they went on. The Supreme Patriarch was not going to let his guard down either way, so as he collapsed the telescope, he spoke to his escort.

"Take these... beings back to the laboratory, along with some of the men in the dungeon, and hide the entrance."

"Mi'lord, have you seen anything?"

"No, but I doubt that I didn't get the sense of being watched specifically from that direction just because I'm paranoid of the bushes there." Gelt said. After the Monster test subjects were taken back to the laboratory, Balthasar was pouring some water into a cup from a nearby pitcher that was set on a desk he was doing some studying on, when he felt the Winds shift, and recognized it as that of Dhar. "Hmm, I was wondering what that sensation I sensed was." he said, turning around to see which of the Monsters it was, when Erubetie tackled him, and he let a grunt as the Monster slammed him into a bookshelf. The blue fluid the creature was made from began to dissolve his clothing, while she hissed at him.

"I'm going to make you suffer the most humiliating of deaths Gelt." She snarled, a glare of rage and hate in her eyes. "First, I- gaahh!" she exclaimed suddenly, and her gelatinous body suddenly recoiled, before she fell over shaking as though in pain. Balthasar then stood up, and spoke while he inspected his clothes and walked to Erubetie.

"Your kind of Monster is made up of some sort of chemical compound given life, that much I figured is known for... whatever you are. From what I could determine, your particular species requires a specific environment to live, which most assuredly require a base of water and other substances. As a result of your unique physiology of a flexible membrane which contains what would otherwise collapse into nothing but a puddle, you and your kin have exceptional shape-shifting and regenerative powers, to the point of rendering conventional weapons useless." the Gold Wizard said, as Erubetie suddenly ejected some of the matter she was made of, trying to purge and cleanse her body of contaminants. Interestingly to Balthasar, he noted that the fluids were heavily discolored, and the Monster let what sounded like a groan of intense pain while doing so, and he leaned down to the shuddering creature. "That also means however, that your kind are weak to having chemicals and other substances that you can't digest if they get into your body, which causes you to enter a state akin to toxic shock. And right now, your body is basically tearing itself apart to reject and get the poison you just absorbed out of your system." Erubetie looked at the golden mask, fear and horror as she realized what had happened. Shaking as she ejected more of her mass, her voice was hoarse and stuttered as she tried to speak.

"What did you poison me with?" Erubetie choked out. The Supreme Patriarch smirked under his mask as he put on a pair of gloves.

"Apparently, no Human villages who had to deal with your kind hunting their populace thought to chemically treat their clothing with, say, lye and nightshade oil with lead powder mixed into it." Gelt said, and reached into his pocket, pulling out a golden ball just about big enough to fit in his palm. As he disenchanted it, Balthasar then asked Erubetie a question. "Do you know, what will happen, if sodium makes contact with water?" as her eyes were raised in fear and confusion, Gelt spoke up. "Let's just say there is a reason I am wearing gloves, and if you think you are in pain, your last few seconds are going to prove that wrong..."

With that, Gelt tossed the small chunk of sodium at the Monster and ran over to a table, and she made a terrified expression as the silvery metal plopped into her center mass. Balthasar then turned around, and proceeded to transmute the Monsters' surface membrane layer into gold with Chamon, effectively trapping Erubetie and preventing her from expelling the metal before it started reacting with her body, as well as acting as a container for the reaction. To confirm that Erubetie died, he knocked over the table and used it as sodium becomes explosive when exposed to water. As the minutes ticked away, he started to see the shell glow red hot at around the waist area, and watched a hole get burned though the gold. Immediately, steam was blown out as well as an orange gout of flames, and Gelt ducked down while he covered his ears from the shrill whistling, combined with what sounded like a scream of agony and pain. Suddenly a shock wave burst out and launched Balthasar away as the statue exploded outwards in his direction like a directed bomb. As the table took the heavy brunt of the attack, Gelt got up with only a ringing sound in his ears, and some disorientation. The table itself had a number of pits and scars from fragmentation, the thick wood it was made from serving well in shielding the Gold Wizard. As his hearing cleared, Balthasar realized he could heavy breathing.

_Did she survive somehow?_ Balthasar wondered, and then a small blob of the blue fluids that made up Erubeties' body crawling away, but doing so sluggishly, and then noticed a small purple object, which was present in all of Erubeties' forms. "Apparently that purple object is more important then I thought." the blob paused, and shifted to reveal a singular eye, which stared out blankly in Gelts' direction. "I take it that as long as that is undamaged, you'll at the very least survive just about about any injury?" he asked while pointing at Erubetie, pulling out a pistol and quickly aiming at the blob. He then pulled the trigger at Erubetie, who quickly extended a tendril of her remaining mass with the object inside in response as it made a panicked cry. However, the pistol was not actually loaded with a ball, and so only shot a piece of burning cloth. Realizing she was bluffed with a burble, Erubetie fled as Balthasar by squeezing through a gap between a door and the floor into a nearby room, moving with a quick burst of speed as the Monster made a screech.

_Hmm, so she can still move quickly, but didn't attack me while I was vulnerable, and seems only capable of the occasional vocalization. It is likely, that as long as she does not have time to recuperate from the sodium reaction, that Erubetie is severely weakened without her main body so to speak. What I am chasing is her attempt to retreat and recover. I'll have to finish her off before she accomplishes this, as she will not fall for the same trick twice. _Balthasar thought analytically, when several of his escorts burst into the library.

"Mi'lord! What happened?! We heard an explosion!" one of the Great swords yelled out. Balthasar Gelt pointed a finger to them, then gestured with a 'come hither' movement with it as he went to enter the room Erubetie fled through.

"Follow me! A Monster tried to assassinate me, and we need to finish it off before it can heal!"


	21. Chapter 21

**Vermin Tide Quest**

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Chapter 21

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As Erubetie slithered and slid under and around the tables and chairs of the room she was in, the Slime Queen was panicking. Balthasar had reduced her to a single blob of slime, almost evaporating her entire body and slime core in one single stroke. Thankfully, he was predictable enough to not notice when she ejected her core, but now fear had gripped the Slime as the Human Wizards voice spoke once more.

"One of the Knights of the Monster Lord has been crippled, and is weak to poisoning. Get out the mixture I prepared, and start lacing the drapes and tapestries with it, line the windows and doors, spread throughout as much of the castle as you can, and do so as you hunt the abomination down and spread the word. If we fail to finish it off, the Monster will recover. Now go and slay it, but remember that a cornered animal is the most dangerous one." the Human knights that were serving Gelt then gave their affirmations, and she could them spread out to follow her orders. "The rest of you with me."

_By the Dark Goddess, I need to get out before Balthasars' men trap me in here! _Erubetie thought. As the door to the reading room was smashed open, she managed to get behind one of the tapestries depicting ones of the battles that took place during the Great Monster War of a Human village being taken by the Monsters, and slithered up it as quickly as she could, using her innate powers to scry the room to keep track of the Imperials. However, she realized too late that it was a mistake, as Balthasar suddenly cried out.

"There, behind that infernal tapestry, I felt her presence!" the Human yelled. Suddenly, the Slime Queen let a garble cry, as the tapestry was pulled from its railing by one or two of his soldiers, and a tearing of cloth and fabric. She looked her single eye down and saw the knights fall to the ground, loud metallic clanging sounds echoing in the room as part of the fabric art piece fell on top of them. The rest of the Imperial knights aimed crossbows at her, likely from the armory in the castle based on their design and crossbow bolts upon seeing her looking at them. Erubetie then screamed, as the projectiles were loosed in a volley, some of which grazed her body. She began to bob and weave, evading the bolts being shot at her and embedding themselves against the wall. The tapestry was pegged against the wall as well, which likely meant that Erubetie moved, she left a bump that the soldiers were no doubt tracking, but she no choice but to continue upwards if she was to survive.

_These Humans, they are like wolves drawn to blood! _She thought, fear fueling the Slime Queen to move faster and quicker despite the drain on what little nutrients she had left in her body. Eventually, Erubetie got into the rafters, swallowing up a rat as she landed on it. As she quickly consumed the creature, Balthasar yelled.

"Damn, she got away! Attacking this beast while it is up there is too dangerous!" he cried out. Erubetie dared to peek at the Imperials, and saw them gathered around a piece of paper. She then realized they were blueprints, and stretched her senses. "If we take the stair way here and here, we can form up into two groups and trap her in the rafters."

"But sir, wouldn't the creature just drop down to escape? She is not going to need to worry about broken bones."

"I doubt it, that ceiling is at least fifty feet up, and with how little of her there is remaining, it would likely be more dangerous for the Monster to fall down as she won't have enough of that fluid to protect her most vital organ. You will these five soldiers, and split up to block off the creatures' escape, you four are coming with me. In order to make sure we finish it off, there is a purple orb of some kind we need to destroy in her body. I realized I have forgotten to mention this, so tell the other Greatswords and State Troopers assisting us as you cross paths. May we send this accursed being to Morr and his wife Verena for judgment of her sins." Gelt said, causing Erubetie to shiver in fear as the many women, both Human and Monsters she had assimilated into her conscious were awoken by the Slime Queens' lost composure.

_Morr is their God of Death, so who is this Verena? _The one of the many women thought. Similar thoughts of panic and despair of possibly being judged by this new Goddess then began to override Erubeties' own thoughts and mind. After a few seconds, she managed to regain her control. _Be silent, all of you!_ She commanded. _Damn that Gelt! I'm starting to lose cohesion, and if that happens no amount of food will bring me back. I cannot let myself panic like that again... _with that, Erubetie consumed the last of the rat she caught, and moved onwards, slightly bigger then before. _I'll need to find this rats' nest. From its memories I gathered, there is both a community of these vermin that have gotten into the cellar, and plenty of food to recover..._

* * *

**POV SHIFT**

* * *

When Lazarus and his group arrived in the headquarters of Illiaz Kruez, he immediately noticed by the way one of the men walked up to him that something had happened. While the others were busy cleaning up their arms and armor, the raven haired man pulled his comrade to the side.

"Something happened while I was away?" he asked. The other man shuffled in place, then cleared his throat.

"Well, yes and no. While you were gone, four more Imperials appeared through a portal, along with an Elf." Lazarus stared blankly then sighed. "I know, but so far they have mostly been complaint in waiting for help, especially with a particular middle man that requested to speak with with you, Ulreik and Ulboro by name." the man explained. Lazarus turned and called to the Witch Hunter and Ulboro.

"We have new arrivals, and apparently one of them wishes to speak with and you two. They referred to you by name." with that, the three were lead to the room that Illias Kruez reserved for medical purposes. The man explained on the way that one of the members was an injured Wizard of what the Imperials recognized as being of the 'Bright Order' as Ulboro referenced. Oddly, the two did not seem to like the prospect of this particular person much to Lazarus' surprise, though they shared the look of disgust when the Monster known as an Elf was mentioned. Though now that Lazarus noticed it, the Humans seem familiar with Elves, unlike with other Monsters like Minotaurs and Kitsune that were widely recognizable to the Humans of this world. As a result, Lazarus decided now would be as good a time as any to bring it up.

"I noticed you seem to have had dealings with Elves before. Would I be correct in assuming that you have them in your world." Ulboro scowled as he replied.

"Yes, in fact there are three kinds. The High Elves, who reside in their continent island known as Ulthan, who helped the Emperor Magnus the Pius found the Colleges of Magic. They can be prideful and arrogant jackasses at times, but at least they won't back stab you, or rape you to death like the ones from this world will do, and make some of the finest wine you will ever taste. The Dark Elves on the other hand, will do so just like the Monsters which plague this world like a cancer. There is also the Wood Elves, who nobody likes, and generally do whatever they think they can get away with just to watch the world burn." Ulboro replied. "Ulreik and I have had to work alongside a High Elf once. He was hunting down a member of his Dark Elven kin, who-"

"Wait, there are male Elves on your world?" the Sigmarite looked at Lazarus for a moment.

"Oh, that's right, the Elves on this world are another Monster species... yes there are male Elves, and they generally tend to look down on others. Even so, they are at least somewhat helpful in keeping the Dark Elves off our coasts." Ulboro replied. "Anyways, this particular Elf was hunting down a Dark Elf, who had been trying to find a place where she could lay out a network to start her own slave trade, and we had several... interesting conversations with him about said Dark Elf. After we found and killed her, the High Elf left, though he was generous enough to leave us a bottle of red wine from his homeland. As insufferable as the High Elves can be at times, they do have some redeeming qualities." the man continued, a slight smile on his face.

"Are men of the cloth like yourself allowed to drink alcohol?" Lazarus asked.

"Maybe, maybe not." the Warrior-Priest said, leaving the Illas Kruez leader to stare at him with a slightly annoyed look. After that, the Warrior-Priest translated what had been said to his Witch Hunter companion, who simply breathed another drag from his pipe as he listened. When they reached the door to their designation, the man opened it, and the three walked in.

Inside the room, the most obvious one who stood was the Elf, who was sitting cross-legged in a corner, not bothered by the Humans who looked at her with suspicion and fear. On one of the beds, a women wrapped in bandages who looked like a mummy was sleeping, and Lazarus winced upon hearing that she was suffering a large number of burn wounds, leaving the man to wonder if a Dragon attacked her. There was also another Witch Hunter, the apparent leader of the group, who upon locking eyes with Ulreik stared intimidatingly in mutual but silent accusation. Apparently these two had some history. Another man was standing about with his hands on a great sword leaning on his body, and a larger version of the pistols' as Ulboro called them on his back. He was in conversation with some kind of stout, bearded, and very short man who carried an ax and shield, along with two strange and possibly enchanted pistols, if the glowing runes said anything. However, it was the sixth person who made Lazarus pause, as he only heard stories about them.

He was clearly a Druid, with their emblem of concentric rings of white and emerald green on a crucifix that was currently wrapped around his wrist as he tended to the injured woman. He wore a brown robe, though one could see what looked like tree bark growing where his skin should be, and his hair looked more like straw then anything, his glowing green hand passing over the Human Wizard slowly, likely healing her gradually to not disturb her rest. When they all looked over at Lazarus and the two that were with him, the strangers and the Druid looked at each other.

When Ulreik and Ulboro saw them, the two clearly recognized them. "Well now, it's a small world after all." Lazarus muttered to himself, as the other worlders started talking to each other. The Druid stopped with his healing spell, said a quick word to the Warrior-Priest, and left when Ulboro knelt and began to pray to Sigmar, pulling Lazarus to the side.

"What is a Druid doing here?" he asked of the man, who looked around before replying.

"I was sent to ensure these people survived. As you are no doubt aware, the Human Luka is going to cross paths with you." the man responded. Lazarus frowned slightly.

"I know, my boys and I met him back at Natalia Port chasing a group of Skaven. Is there something you know about him and his girlfriend?" the Druid nodded.

"Yes, there is something, but not that you won't find out yourself. I managed to save these servants of Sigmar from the Spring of Undine." Lazarus grimaced, being aware at least of the Four Spirits existing as well as how they are infamous in the group for how they have limited what magic can be being used against the Monsters, especially after the death of the last Monster Lord.

"What were they doing in the Spring?" Lazarus asked of the Druid.

"They were purging a Skaven base in Plansect Forest, and were driven into it when a group of the Monsters there came after them for killing several of their kin." the Druid replied, his face neutral and impassive. "It was quickly seen by those of us who watching this that their experience is necessary to ensure the Skaven are destroyed."

"Are there other Druids? You mention that others were watching them. If you are still around, why are you and the other Druids not helping us?" Lazarus interrogated the Druid, some amount of anger welling up within him. Realizing his place, the man stopped himself and calmed down. The Druid sighed, and placed a hand on Lazarus' shoulder.

"You are right to be angry that we never lifted our hand against the Monsters. While we have had wanted to do so, my kin and I lost the power to defend Humanity. The reason we can not fight back, was due to the fact that we having been on the run, unable to muster any defense as we would be found and destroyed by the Monsters. But ever since that day the sky became green, I and several others know have a plan, though I can not discuss the details of it, not yet." the Druid then turned around, and created a portal. "I will be taking my leave now. May we find one another again." the Imperials watched on as the Druid left, and then Ulboro walked over to Lazarus.

"What did you talk about?" he asked, as Lazarus turned to the Sigmarite towering over him.

"Just a general reinforcement of going and taking care of the Skaven problem, as well as some personal stuff I rather not get into now." the man said, scratching at his stubble. He then turned and saw the women was unwrapping her bandages, and noticed she was rather elderly. "Who is she, and what is her story?"

"That is Sienna Fuegonasus, a Bright Wizard as I have said before. Think of her as a mage who specializes in Fire magic."

"She is a Witch?!" Lazarus cried out, getting the attention of the entire room, and several other members could of Illias Kruez ran over.

"Not in the same sense of this worlds Witches, but yes. However, she was licensed and tasked with purging the enemies of Mankind, and thus if you are willing to trust us, you may find she is more then worth an army if deployed correctly." Ulboro said. "Besides, we have two Witch Hunters to keep an eye on her should anything go wrong."

"And if the Spirit Salamander tries to take control of her Fire Magic?" the Sigmarite laughed, as Lazarus did bring up the Four Spirits once when asked why none of Illias Kruez could use magic, who Ulboro mentioned in kind as sounding like Daemons or something to that effect.

"Considering the adventure our friends here had in a place called Plansect Forest, it is safe to say that this Salamander would find Sienna too... independent to just let her will and whims decide when and where Sienna can burn Monsters to ash, and their nesting sites to the ground. She ended up like that because they got attacked by some sort of semi-liquid Monster. Now then, let me introduce to the Ubersreik Five..."

* * *

**POV SHIFT**

* * *

As Alma Elma flew to the castle through the trees, she brought with her several Kuinoichi Elves and Succubi to help find and extract Erubetie. On the way there, Alma Elma repeated her instructions to the Monsters.

"Listen here, finding Erubetie is our main priority, so we're going to ignore any patrols the Imperials have put up. If we have to fight, just incapacitate the Human soldiers as swiftly as possible and move on. We'll enter through the roof top entry ways under the cover of illusion spells, and work our way down to find the Slime Queen. Are you clear on that?" after they gave their affirmation, the group continued on. As the Elves slipped and jumped from tree to tree, one of the Succubi flying alongside Alma Elma suddenly made a loud gagging sound that drew the attention of the rest of the party, and she fell to the ground spraying blood from her neck as a kunai made of green glowing magical stone had embedded itself in it. As the Monsters paused and looked around, Alma deflected several throwing stars with her arms and the Monsters found themselves in the midst of a number of rat man creatures wearing tattered hooded uniforms.

"Skaven Gutter Runners! What the hell are they doing here?!" Alma Elma cried out. As she felt some sense of fear of fear through her vein, the very back most Gutter Runner pointed at the monsters.

"Kill-Stab the Mutant Breeder-Things!" it screamed, as they began to leap after the Monsters, flinging kunai and stars at them with their tails. Alma Elma began to channel the power of the Wind, and found the Skaven somehow were eliminating the the presence of their mana. One of the Succubi then launched a fireball at one particularly bold member of the rat men, burning it into ash mid-air. Immediately the Monsters rushed to meet their opponents, The Elves tossing their own kunai and stars, while the Succubi fought at range to provide ranged support. Alma Elma recomposed herself, and began shouting to the group as she launched a barrage of Wind attacks of her own, blowing two of the Skaven assassins screaming into a tree trunk, while whipping a third that tried to stab her from behind with her tail.

"Hold them off, watch your backs, and don't let them hit you with that green stuff they're carrying!" she yelled, realizing that the green weapons the Skaven were using was Warpstone then turned to her sister Monster that got hit, and saw that she was being attacked by another Skaven, who was biting into her arm as it clawed at her chest, ripping several gouges into her flesh, and trying to stab her to death with its tail holding a kunai. One of the kuinoichi flew down from a tree top, and ran the Skaven through from behind with a nodachi, then reached for one of her own kunai, slicing its throat open. As a dark gout of red blood bled out onto her sister Monster, the Elf shoved it off, then the the dagger she held at a Skaven that flew down with a pair of Warpsone claw weapons as it screeched. When the elf saws the Succubus was still alive, she reached down to get the kunai made of the same material out of their neck, as she sensed that it was reacting somehow to the Succubis' Dark energy. "No! WAIT!" Alma Elma yelled but was too late. As soon as the Elf grabbed it, the Warpstone was overloaded by both Monsters' energy, and shocked both of them.

The two Monsters began to scream in pain, as their bodies were fused together and then were disintegrated by a second blast wave when the Elf tried to force the Warpstone to reverse the changes with her Dark energy. The second blast wave then struck the two claw weapons of the Skaven that tried to kill the Elves, causing them to explode, and sending a plume of green energy that sent both sides flying away from each other. The Skaven began to rout, terrified by the explosion and seeing green flames burning the forest floor.

"Mortar-Bombard cannons! Slip-Squeak tricked-deceived us! RUN! FLEE!" one of them yelled, as the Skaven began to scatter. "Run-flee to the nest!"

"After those rat man bastards! We need to find their base!" One of the Elves screamed, but Alma stopped her.

"No! We must press on to the Monster Lord castle, and get Erubetie first." Alma Elma said, before several of the Monsters already ran off. "Oh come on! Can't you just listen for second!?" Suddenly a bang sound was heard, and Alma ducked just in time to dodge a lead bullet.

"Monsters! Get them, Sigmar demands their blood! Hans, shoot the flare gun!" the Imperial carrying the fire-spear that he shot at with yelled, as several more appeared from the brush firing off their weapons at the Heavenly knight and the Monsters still with her. One of them pulled out what looked like a smaller version of it. When he pointed it to the air and pulled the trigger, Alma proceeded to fly at the Imperials. However, just before she reached him, a small bright red ball of sparking fire flew up and into the air, right after which Alma struck the Human with a right hook. When it burst in the air, she looked up, and panic set in.

_Damn, we lost the element of surprise because of those assholes! _She realized, as she turned to evade one of the soldiers swinging an ax at her, followed by a quick jab at his throat that sent the man sprawling onto the ground. As the Monsters began to push back against the small group of Imperials, a number of shouts could be heard as Human reinforcements came out of the nearby brush, attracted to the sound of fighting and yelling.

* * *

**POV SHIFT**

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As Tamano looked at the bag that held Granberias' soul, she had went over the battle she had with the Wizards and the men with them. She was puzzling over it, the Dragon the soul belonged to effectively comatose when she should be dead just like Gelt said. She had been scrying the bag, and puzzling the threat Balthasar made to kill Granberia. She was confused on why Heram, despite having the opportunity to kill Granberia tried to put some distance between him and the fight. It either came down that Balthasar left out a crucial detail about how this spell works, or Heram was simply trying to get away from Erubetie at the time, and gave up. Eventually, she started to get a feel for the magic within the bag as she concentrated on seeing what was going on with Granberia.

The Dragon herself was resting on a mat that was laid out for her, and she too was glowing with this energy. Tamano concluded that this was the Element that Leopold used to manipulate souls, and then noticed a line that connected the two. Curious she picked up the bag and moved it closer to Granberia, and watched as the connection grew stronger. This made an ear twitch, as Tamano got up and walked away and out of her wagon, part of a convey of Monsters that were moving slowly to allow Alma Elma time to scout and disable any patrols. Her aid Feria looked over, and followed the Kitsune.

"Mi'lord, have you found something?" she asked, as several Monsters watched on in curiosity.

"I'm testing something, my child. I think I'm on to something." Tamano replied, focused solely on the bag. After stopping, she turned around and went back in, when Feria followed her in, she saw Tamano was about to open the bag.

"Tamano, what are you doing?!" she yelled, when Granberias' soul suddenly came out. The Dragon looked around for a second, then turned around to see her body. After making a face of what looked shock and then recognition, she proceeded to go back into her body, and woke up.

"So Granberia, how was-" Tamano was then interrupted by Granberia as she was shot up in rage, grabbed Aries, and ran out the tent.

"I AM GOING TO GOUGE OUT HIS EYES WITH MY FINGERED NAILS!" Granberia roared in rage, her voice loud and deafening as Tamano watched her ran out the wagon and past a group of confused and startled Monsters, then sighed as her ears flatten and she grabbed the bridge of her nose.

"Oh for Mother Alices' sakes." the Kitsune muttered under her breath (thankfully the exclamation was a common saying in Monster society, and thus Illias was not going to jump on that, assuming Sigmar kept his mouth shut.) and then teleported in front of Granberia. "Hold on there, let's calm down there. First off, I know that you don't get this pissed unless Balthasar Gelt got under your skin." Tamano replied, placing a hand on Granberias' chest and around her shoulders. "Why don't we discuss this in private? Feria, we might have a very confidential discussion ahead, so make sure everyone else is continuing ahead, yeah?"

"Yes, Mi'lord." the seven-tailed Kitsune said, her blue and orange tails swishing as she bowed. Tamano then took Granberia to a nearby clearing, and made sure no one was around. After putting some distance between them and the convoy, she turned to the stewing Dragon Knight of Fire.

"What happened? Did he do anything to you that was that bad?" she asked. Granberia shook her head.

"No, I found Gelt speaking with that Priest of Morr you and Alice mentioned. He had a conversation with them that revealed a lot of information about the Empire, as well as this... 'Chaos' as they call it. Speaking of which, where is the notes I wrote, Did you retrieve them along with Aries?" Granberia asked.

"No."

"Damn. Moving on back to the topic at hand, it was some of the things Gelts said about the Dark Goddess, her daughter the Six Ancestors, and Monster-kind in general that angered me, and I allowed my emotions and pride to cloud my judgment. That, and Gelt did something to my sword." Tamano listened carefully, seeing the Dragon tighten her hands at the memory that led to her being captured. "How did you rescue me?" Tamano proceeded to give a brief rundown on the situation, her rescue, and the fact Alma Elma went ahead to retrieve Erubetie and how Gelt discovered Tamanos' lab.

"Great, now the dung heap is getting higher." Granberia muttered angrily.

"Why, what was it he said about us?" Tamano asked.

"He considers Monsters to be a disease that is blighting Humanity, more so then Illias and her Angels, who he is not impressed with at all. Apparently, in his eyes, our reliance on semen to breed and live makes us little more then parasites, and even thinks that the idea Dark Goddess being a better creator of creatures then Illias to be folly. We must warn Lord Alice of this fact, as this is a view seemed to be shared by Leopold, and possibly the Imperial State Troopers. Therefore, I see no way we can make peace with them, as they'll almost certainly jump in with Illias if she offers them aide to exterminate us." Tamano sighed again.

_Damn, things are just going to keep spiraling at this point if I don't get a hold of this situation. _"But they refused when Promestein came to do just that."

"Yeah well, he didn't look into our history yet, and thus was not aware of what was going on." Granberia countered. "I hope Erubetie has at least cowed them into compliance for now. So far, they don't seem to have anything that can fight her off..."

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**POV SHIFT*

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As Erubetie slithered through one of the hidden passageways to get the food storage rooms, she began to calm down. She felt excitement, as she knew she was saved by the grace of the Dark Goddess, she just had to go these last few meters with a drop tight there for her to land in front of the granary. The Slime Queen managed to make it to one of the vents that was built into the walls of the Monster Lord Castle, and was laughing mentally to herself. While they were dusty, her membrane was more then thick enough to keep it out of her body.

_I made it, I made to survival! _She thought, reaching the edge of the of the vent... When it suddenly shifted away from her. She made a gurgling sound, then a sense of dread filled her as she realized what it meant. As the Slime looked behind her, the Shadowmancer was looking at her, somehow fitting into the too tight space for most of the other Humans. Erubetie, realizing she had no choice but to fight, Erubetie jumped at him, only for the Human to disappear, and a vent opening replaced it.

Before she could process what happened, she fell into a container, and the lid was snapped shut on her. As she began to panic, it was held aloft by Balthasar, the golden mask filling her eyes' vision as he brought her close to her face to exam her closely. She looked around, and saw Heram along with several Imperials gathered around him. She realized she was baited into giving herself away, and began to scream in rage, as she began to froth while turning her mass into an acid. However, the container was not melting fast enough, making her stop in confusion.

_What the hell? Did Gelt enchant this glass?_ Balthasar started to chuckle, as he brought it down and carried it somewhere. As he walked, Erubetie was shaken and tossed by the motion, leaving in a state akin to motion sickness. His voice was barely audible through the glass, but she could just make out the words.

"As you may have noticed, the glass in this vial does not dissolve in acid. My peers and I use it when handling similar substances, and it just so happens I keep my personal alchemy kit on my persons in case I need to investigate certain substances, like say a living acidic creature like you." Gelt explained, as he turned left and away to the main hall of the Castle. As Erubetie looked on through her dizziness and sickness, the Human continued. "It will be a shame not to have any samples to study your chemistry, but I don't have the equipment to keep you permanently contained, and given your dietary requirements such a thing wouldn't be possible anyway, and I do not normally keep prisoners. Your friend was an exception, as she was an opportunity to send fear into the hearts of your accursed kin." Fear gripped her core, as the Slime Queen found herself being over a pot killed with a cloudy substance, while one of the prisoners stood by with a rod to stir it with. As she looked around she saw Leopold had a book open, and a purple aura suffused his body as he said some kind of prayer to Morr. She could sense the presence of the deity in question, and when she scryed to look around the room, she saw what could only be the Imperial God of the Dead standing over Balthasar Gelt, staring at her with a piercing gaze that bored into her soul. His hood was drawn, leaving most of his face in shadow, and the lantern he held was glowing brightly, opened and glowing as he hooked his scythe around the pot, ready to hook in Erubeties' soul. Gelt looked in the direction of Morr that she did not understand, then back to the Slime Queen who exchanged one last look with the Supreme Patriarch.

"What do you see in that painting?" Gelt asked. When Erubetie looked back, she realized that Morr turned translucent, and she saw that there a painting of the Six Ancestor Lords. "I suppose even Monsters will pray to their god when faced with mortal peril. Now then, Erubetie, Champion of the Monster Lord, it is time you were saved by Morr, and judged for your crimes by Verena." with that, Erubetie was dumped into the lye almost as soon as Gelt opened the container of glass he held her in, and Morr returned to his normal form. As the rod the Human prisoner held was stirred, it forced lye into Erubeties' body, dissolving it as she felt intense and horrific pain. She wanted to scream, as it was not an instant death, her core reflectively trying to save itself as the mixture got closer and closer. As the God of the Dead reached his hand in, he grabbed the purple object, and Gelt and the Humans who were watching this cried out as a bright light beam shot into the sky.

The Slime Queen began to feel the grip she held over the millions of women she absorbed and forced into her consciousness being pulled out her core, and a feeling of cold numbness began to overtake her.

_NO! NO! I DON'T WANT TO DIE! _She screamed telepathically to Morr, who simply showed the various souls the lantern he held, not listening to the plea Erubetie gave. _Not like this. Not like this. Please, stop. _Morr then looked at her, and scowled.

_You are already dead Erubetie. And as for your request to stop, Verena and you are going to have a long, long talk about those who begged you to stop before you killed them. _Erubetie made an exclamation, and found herself looking at her arms.

_Whuh? _She turned around, and saw a gate, one side white and the other black snapping shut. Around her a large cluster of souls were looking around them, and fear began to grip them as they say an endless landscape of graves, along with a city and a road leading to it. As she realized that this was the so called Garden. Many of the souls of the women she absorbed looked at Morr,who was already walking to the city.

_Come... I will not force you, but I would like to attend to your rest. _was all Morr communicated with them, as the souls then felt themselves gravitate to him, driven by what they felt was an almost fatherly aura. Erubetie however, fell to the equivalent of her knees, and began to sob. She was now alone now, and she knew that whatever the women following Morr were going to get, she was not to be with them, and was not going to see the others again. Not unless they died...

* * *

**POV SHIFT**

* * *

As Illias was watching Luka head to San Illias, a bright beam shot out from Hellgondo. She was startled by this, went see what was happening. Morr appeared a little later, and the goddess spoke up.

"What the hell is that?" she asked as the light beam disappeared as quickly as it did appear.

"That, was the result of the Queen of Slimes being drawn into my Garden along with all the souls she contain all at at the same time." Morr said, as Illias looked at him incredulously.

"That jackass of a Wizard Gelt actually killed her?!" she cried out in shock, her face taken aback, as she didn't think Gelt could pull it off. After a moment, she calmed down and spoke in a more collected tone. "You planning to do anything to her soul?"

"We'll see what Verenas' judgment of her soul is going to be." Morr replied cryptically, before leaving. As Illias looked on, she began to laugh. Promestein then walked in, rubbing her eyes while wearing a set of night ware.

"What's going on? I seemed to miss something, as everyone is talking about some light beam..."


	22. Chapter 22

**Vermin Tide Quest**

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Chapter 22

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As Tamano and Granberia were heading back to the Monster convoy, several banging sounds echoed throughout the forest just as they entered out in front of the army, when a Cerberus yelled out and pointed at the now darkening afternoon sky. As the two Heavenly Knights turned, they saw a red light shoot into the air, a trail of smoke being left behind as it popped, and descended slowly before fading out. When several more of these lights shot up, Tamano felt her heart stop. She realized this had to be some form of communication between the Imperial patrols. As a large smoke cloud also began to rise, someone yelled out in anger.

"That smoke cloud can only come from a forest fire! The Humans must have set the forest ablaze in an attempt to slow us down or split our forces in half!" a Monster yelled in rage. One of the others, an Imp spoke up, flaunting her oversized chest.

"Bah, no matter to us! Let's send some of our mages to-" suddenly a whistling sound was heard, and the closest of her companions turned to see a kunai stab into her head, causing the small demon to fall over with a thud. A war horn of some kind was then blown somewhere, as the convoy was suddenly rushed by a horde of screaming rat men they have only heard rumors and reports of in Sentoria. The Monsters furthest out from the wagons and closest to the ambush points, having somehow been taken off-guard despite their senses, were quickly dog piled on top off, and then torn apart alive and screaming in front of their sisters with rusty and dull blades, or bludgeoned with blunt sticks and stones. Granberia in particular had a moment of terror where she froze in shock at the memories of her legs getting destroyed by the Skaven Wizard, but recomposed herself just as a horde of the obvious cannon fodder charged screaming at her.

Drawing Aries while Tamano ran to the back to help coordinate the confused and overwhelmed Monsters behind her, Granberia sneered in anger as the sword lit alight in flames. She was going to enjoy this just a little too much. As something charged screaming at her, Granberia turned on her foot, spinning and cutting some kind of assassin in half in mid-air, and while turn back performed the Demon Decapitation technique on the front rank of Skaven that got in her range. Before the others had processed the attack, she ran in, and butchered the rest of the rats, cleaving through them by the dozens with each strike. After clearing out the front horde, she noticed she got a bit too far from the convoy, and turned back, when she felt something hit her in the back of the head.

_What the... _the Dragon thought as she looked down as she slowly turned to see some kind of steel ball that had cracked in two, and looked around to see one of the Skaven assassins, who looked down at the sling he held in his paw, then back at Granberia. When she glared at him, a trail of conspicuous liquid trailed down its legs, and it tried to run, only to be smashed into the rock it tried to hide behind when the far faster Knight of Fire rushed it and clothes-lined it in the neck, breaking the hideous beasts skull in the process. She then turned to the convoy, only to see a large number of the assassins rushing at her. However, unlike the clearly more experienced members, they weren't leaping from tree to tree, waiting for her to drop her guard. Concluding that these were either very cocky recruits to the Skaven assassination organization, or their bottom of the barrel rejects, she drew Aries. "I don't have time for this..." she muttered, before performing the Chaos Death Star technique, turning the entire horde into a red mist as her sword flashed and danced, carving them like tissue paper. When a loud roar was heard, she sighed, only to turn into a fist that punched her in the cheek by a fist made of metal, sending the Knight flying into the first wagon, which carried some of the food the Monsters brought with them in case the initial battle turned into a siege. Shrapnel flew out as a result of wooden crates and the wagon itself being destroyed, injuring mostly nearby Skaven who were surrounding it. Thankfully, the Centaurs who were pulling it and the others were now engaged in the fight, trampling and kicking the filthy beasts.

When she got out of the wreckage of fruit, meat, and vegetable products, she stared to see the Skaven punched her. Specifically one of the big, burly, and brutish ones, but at least double the size of its smaller kin. However, this Skaven was wearing armor and a backpack of some kind, and its arms were replaced with technological ones, along with a considerable amount of its' heavily armored body. On top of it via a small and unstable platform, a similarly armored Skaven laughed audibly, swinging a halberd with a green blade wildly one handled while holding onto the railing with the other, with white fur that grew in patches. Upon noticing green lighting starting to crackle around it and herself, Granberia looked up, and saw a bunch of storm clouds with the strange lighting gathering between them.

"Oh hell no." she muttered, as she jumped out just in time to dodge the attack, knocking over a bunch of the Skaven who had just started to gather around it again. Several bolts of the green lighting then smashed into the wagon, destroying both it and the Skaven around the, along with a Centaur that got to close as she passed by with an ax, ripped in half from where she was hit. Her companion screamed in terror at being covered in blood and viscera, the two apparently intending to help Granberia. "Go! I'll take care of this one!" the Dragon quickly yelled, and turned to see the large Rat Man had leaped at her, intending to smash her with his fists. Granberia blocked the impact with Aries, and the ground practically crater as she felt the sheer energy of the attack break the ground under her.

"YES-YES! KILL-SMASH IT RIKSLY! KILL-KILL FOR YOUR TREAT-REWARD FOR LEADER-MASTER WARPLOCK GRAY-MUZZLE AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" the Skaven on top laughed madly, not even referring to his kin he just murdered in cold blood. Granberia swallowed down the bile she felt towards it, then felt the weight of the beast putting on her sword lighten a bit. She looked to her left, and made a exclamation of surprise when a hand grabbed her by the cape she wore, and the creature lifted and spun the Dragon Knight by it. It then flung Granberia screaming down the line, where she was suddenly caught and wrapped up in a ball of fluff and fur. At first thinking it was Tamano, she turned to see it was Feria clinging onto her.

"I saw what happened." the Kitsune said, before the two suddenly struck the giant Skaven mutant, and bounced off it to land in front of a group of monsters that were falling back after seeing the beast and how large it was. Upon seeing that they had help now, They rallied behind Granberia and Feria. The Dragon Knight, her cheeks red with embarrassment, turned to the Monsters.

"None of you saw anything!" she yelled.

"WHAT-WHAT WAS THAT DARE-CHANCE STRIKE-HIT THE MIGHT-MIGHTY RAT ORGE RIKSLY!? YOU MUTANT-BREEDER-THINGS CAN NOT HOPE-PRAY TO STAND AGAINST THE SKAVEN MASTER-LEADER RACE! ALL HAIL-PRAISE THE HORNED RAT!" Gray Muzzle shrieked in anger! Glowing as he pulled a lever, causing a large cannon weapon to emerge from the 'Rat Orge' back and charge. As the Monsters were about to panic, the device back fired instead, causing the top-half of Riksly to explode in a shower of blood, gore, and mechanical parts that rained on both Skaven and Monster. Gray Muzzles' back pack and halberd then landed, scraped by the explosion, the arm of the Skaven... whatever still holding onto the weapon. The legs of the Rat Orge, pulsating more of the crimson offal, then fell forwards, crushing a number of the gibbering and terrified Skaven, and Granberia turned to the confused Monsters around her wondering what just happened.

"Don't just stand there! AFTER THEM!" Granberia screamed, as she rushed a Skaven group that was running away into the forest, as the battle turned to their favor. However, almost as soon as they began to rout the Skaven, a bright beam of light shot into the sky, and every Monster felt a presence that made them stop, including Tamano who in the back dressing the wounds of a Alruane that had her left arm pulled off. Tamano of course recognized it as being the presence of Morr, the Imperial God of the Dead. As she began to wonder what he was doing on Hellgondo, her eyes widen at realizing the light beam was being shot into the sky from the Monster Lord Castle.

"No..." she whispered, praying to the Dark Goddess in her heart that her fears were not true as she looked at it. However, she felt the souls of the dead, a brief moment of them being pulled into the Garden the Imperials spoke of when mentioning their God Morr, the collective power of a million souls being reaped by him. Individually, they wouldn't have been sensed, however, due to Erubetie no longer containing them all and thus freed from their prison in one glob of power, the spontaneous wave made it so that she was sure that even Monsters not in Hellgondo could feel them being collected by that unknown God, whose only interaction with her was a judgmental glance into her soul.

A flock of ravens suddenly appeared, flying over head of the convoy and cawing loudly as they flew to the castle as though they were called to it. This made many of the Monsters shiver, as they could observe a number of animals, mostly other bird species moving _away _from this phenomenon, as the flock of the dark birds instead flew around then into it, which then was cut off as a purple edged hole of some kind appeared in the sky, like a rip in the fabric of reality itself. It hurt just to look at it, and several of the more magically inclined Monsters cried out and ran, claiming that the hole was staring back at them. Others fell into kneeling on their knees, praying as an aura of some kind washed over them to Dark Goddess Alice, frighten by what they felt. As the souls disappeared, Morr then left, unseen and yet felt by the Monsters, making event Tamano felt a sense of dread at what will happened to her own soul if she died, as despite her immortality against aging, she was in the end mortal, and not even she was exempt from the eternal slumber of death that will come for all such creatures. As she realized what this meant, she rushed over to Granberia, who was trembling while holding onto her sword by Aries. She very clearly was disturbed by Morr, and it had clearly dawned on her just how close the God of the Dead had been to taking her to the afterlife upon being captured by Balthasar and his troops. As the Kitsune walked over to Granberia, the Dragon turned to her and noticed her arms were covered in blood and viscera. All around them, the other Monsters were starting to murmur in fear at the aura they felt just now, as this was not something they could place.

"What in the Dark Goddess' name was that?" a Tarantula muttered "It felt so... cold."

"What manner of being is this? It is not a Monster, yet it isn't an Angel, and it's too powerful to be a Human..." a Monster was murmuring as Tamano walked by. The Kitsune kept herself from joining in the whispers of fear and dread that were being passed around, though her mouth screwed up in thought.

"Tamano, what now?" Granberia asked, snapping the fox woman Monster to reality. She saw that the Dragon put her stoic face on, but experience and watching her college grow up was enough for Tamano to know this was a public front to keep the army from collapsing. "Should we continue moving on to the castle, or something else?" Granberia asked. Tamano could sense the looks the two Knights were getting, as several more banging sounds resounded. As they looked around, Tamano spoke up.

"We need to investigate the Skaven presence. Somehow, they managed to enter our domain without Balthasar being aware of them doing so. As they were only seen in Sentora, that means they got here by means other then the Garuda, the only method those that are not of Monster kind should be able to pass the mountains. I'll go and retrieve Alma Elma, as she is the only one who has any information about them. With that out of the way, take care of the wounded and the dead." she said, waving a hand to the Monsters around them in general. Thankfully, due to the hardy constitution of the Monster races, many of the initially overwhelmed Monsters that the Skaven attacked had lived, but as they were rounded up and taken back to camp, it was not without price.

The few actually confirmed dead Monsters were barely recognizable hunks of flesh, with a couple even being stripped to the bone of any meat on their bodies. This made a few monsters visibly shudder and cringe at the sight, and a number of after battle reports also claimed that the Skaven were found dragging away or consuming their dead as well, hence why they only recovered a few of the Rat-Men to study, such as the assassin that tried to kill Granberia with a sling. The Skaven were repulsive to the Monsters that collected them, especially due to their seeming lack of basic hygiene. A number of them were also in various states of some sort of infection with a disease as a result, but this dd not really frighten them overall, as the Monsters were practically immune to any and all diseases, especially the ones that affected Humans.

"Ha, this filthy animals must have lost their immunity to diseases and plagues. However, it it strange they're all males." A Roper said, lifting a Skaven corpse wrapped in green clothing that was frayed and looking like it hadn't been washed in years. She cringed after sniffing it, and tossed it aside. As the Monsters went to take care of their own dead however, a war horn was blown somewhere, and a wave of angry and shrill screams were heard. "What in the hell, a second wave already?! Where did they regroup?!" the Roper yelled out. In response a horde of Skaven ran around the corner, and this time, they were more lightly armed and armored, and driving the same barely clothed raiders that ambushed them ahead of them. Granberia recognized them as the Skaven that were just below the elite, and pulled up Aries to light it on fire.

"Gals, we might have to fall back if these creatures are doing what I think they are doing..." she said. "This is a distraction to surround us. Tamano, can you confirm?" she asked, turning to the Kitsune. After a moment, her eyes widen.

"They are doing just that, and more! We need to fall back now, I just sensed them preparing some sort of machine weapon unit!" she exclaimed. "They feel like what I imagine the Skaven Fire weapon you described would feel. We're too out in the open! I'm recalling Alma Elma, Granberia, can you hold them off and buy the convoy time to fall back to a better position?"

"Way ahead of you!" Granberia yelled, as she stomped back, then launched forwards like a scaly ball of fire as she charged into the horde of Skaven infantry.

* * *

**POV SHIFT**

* * *

As Victor was getting a drink with Markus, the two examined the pub of the desert city they found themselves in with neutral looks, disguised as bounty hunters who were hunting themselves. As Markus simply politely refused another Mermaids' advances, Kerillian the Way Watcher moved about hidden somewhere in the pubs' rafters. When they found out from Lazarus that there were wanted posters with their names on them as well as drawings that were disturbingly accurate, Victor came up with the outfits as a psychological measure to hide away in plain sight. The Elf was naturally sneaky, and thus was able to come along, while Sienna and Bardin stayed behind due to the fact they were simply unable to hide at all no matter what. The Sigmarite Ulboro was also with them, the Warrior Priest in a generic brown monk tunic, the only possible giveaway would be if someone examined his head. Thankfully, it seemed that nobody seemed to care beyond a quizzical glance at the trio, who sat with naught but mugs of water they drank out of.

When they first entered the establishment, it was done so under the premise they were here for the bounty board. One of the Mermaids offered to give 'special services' as their way of payment for any meal they requested, but with Ulboro there to act as the speaker, payed in copper and silver coins given to them by Illias Kruez to pay for expenses. Sienna and Bardin went with a group of the human activists to find Franz and Olyesa and bring them back from Plansect Forest, but that was shut down when the same Druid from before appeared and dropped them off at the Illias Kruez base. As the three drank from their water, a mermaid shuffled over to them. Victor screwed his mouth tightly, and pretended to fall asleep so she wouldn't see his paranoid eye give them away. Ulboro turned and smiled politely.

("How do you do my lady?") he asked in the native tongue, smiling widely, though inwardly he was chanting to Sigmar for forgiveness of not purging the Monster right there on the spot. The Mermaid blushed at his addressing her, making him intensify his mental chanting with greater fervor, and could feel Victor staring at him with his one remaining eye with with judgmental scrutiny. Kruber simply stared into his cup, likely groaning inwardly at what was happening.

("Uh... wow, I... where did that fourth cup come from? Weren't there three of you?") she asked, as the party saw a fourth cup was set on the table upside down. They all suddenly downed what remain of their water, and left in a hurray, as that was the agreed upon signal that the Way Watcher had found something of interest. The Mermaid watched them leave, confused at the sudden reaction. "Huh... must have been some bounty hunter sign or something." she muttered to herself, not noticing the fourth hooded, tall and slender figure of an Elf that met them at the door of the pub.

As they walked into the open, Kerillian had her hair done so as to obscure her eyesight, and the party of four spoke with each other in whispered tones. "So mayflies, as it stands, I have overheard discussions about a place known as the Witch-Hunt Village. Apparently, it was a place considered paranoid even by those loyal to Illias' standards." Victor scoffed.

"They couldn't stop a lone Norscan of the Great Enemy from walking into their city with the mad man carrying a necklace of skulls and a bloody ax if he drunk off his arse and sick with the Black Plague." the Witch Hunter muttered lowly. As they walked by, Markus seemed to notice something. As the group trained their eyes on it, they noticed a pair of eyes in a metal can of some kind looking at them just ahead of them. Upon realizing the thing was caught, it popped out to reveal it was a Lamia, but it was with the head of a snake and the body of a woman, and posed in front of them in a horrendous fashion. As it shouted, a crowd of people stopped and stared.

("Stop right there scum! I know who-") the Mutant Horror of a Monster was immediately silenced by the intense glares of hate, fury, and contempt all four party members gave her, as they each subltely reached for various hidden weapons in their clothing, specifically showing daggers hidden under their sleeves. ("Uh, my mistake, nothing to see here people.") It then slinked back into the can it lived in, which started to rattle. As they continued on, the conversation was unimpeded.

"What did you hear about this 'Witch-Hunt Village' as this place was called?" Ulboro asked. The Wood-Elf glanced around her, making sure there were no eavesdroppers, then replied.

"Well, apparently there is a purge that has been going on, where the militia there has been taken people off of the streets and accusing them of Witch Craft. However, they are not actually looking for material evidence like Chaos grimores or the like, instead stabbing or cutting them with knives that do not cause them to bleed. What's more, the Lord of the village is rumored to have been a prostitutes' daughter, who was subjected to abuse from the people there. She is a women by the name of Meister Lily, who had became the Lord after the previous man and her family mysteriously died by being... drained by Monsters who never caught. To further add, allegedly, one of the villagers escaped, and has been appealing to anyone willing to listen for help in saving her sister and brother." As the others processed this information, Markus spoke up.

"Well, you know what they say. One plus one equals heresy is afoot." Victor wheezed loudly at the quip. This made his put up a straight face, as well as check his bandana when it made a nearby shop full of people look at him. "Shall we speak to Lazarus about it? This can be a starting point to get Illias Kruez to turn its reputation around." Markus asked, causing the others to go into deep thought about it. By the time they reached the stables, it was agreed upon to do just that...

While on the way to the headquarters on horseback, a bright beam of light shot up around the north, which was to their left as they traveled east. It was a purple light, and as they were overcome by it for but a moment, their hearts stilled, as they realized it was the comforting presence of Morr. Unsure of whether it was a sign from the God, the Human members muttered a quick prayer to him despite knowing he was likely not going to care, while Kerillian just wondered what was going on over there, as she remembered that Hellgondo was further up north. Even so, she was at least slightly comforted that something familiar to her was around, even if that thing was a Human deity she didn't really bother with at all. Though she did wonder if it was an omen that predicted their deaths, or something else.

After about two hours later, the group came across a pyramid. Having heard of Nehekara and the large amounts of Undead that are typically found in such structures, they realized they got turned around and went west. However, a scorpion Monster appeared out of the ground suddenly, and said something as they stopped in shock. When she began to say something, the party of Human and Elf remembered they were not in the city, and thus free to engage, as Victor pulled out one of his pistols at her. When the Scorpions' eyes widen in shock and recognition, her mouth opened up to scream, but the bang from the Witch Hunters' pistol came first, and part of her head was blown off. Leaving the creatures' body there, the group moved on. After a quick break to resupply on water and some food, they continued on, this time heading north-east.

The journey went with silence, until they made it back to the headquarters of Illias Kruez, currently a temporary campsite as they moved to avoid detection. As the group took their mounts to a water trough, Lazarus came over to speak with Ulboro. Ulreik was at the entrance of a tent on a crate, smoking on a pipe similar to Victor Saltzpyres' own, though he was still in his uniform. While the two conversed, Victor sat down next to him on an empty barrel, and pulled out a knife and a wooden block.

"How was the trip?" Ulreik asked nonchalantly as his peer began to whittle. Victor simply grunted in response. "That badly huh?"

"It's not the trip I am angry with." Victor said. Ulreik frowned at the accusation. "We wouldn't have been in this mess if you had taken my warnings of the Skaven starting to move equipment and troops seriously. Ubersreik was exactly the reason we needed to have actual plans in place for Skaven incursions."

"Victor, you're in a land filled with Mutants and Chaos Spawn like abominations of the Slaaneshi variety, and you still insist on hunting the Skaven down at all costs?" Ulreik asked, and then sighed when the other Witch Hunter scowled. "Victor, this obsession was exactly why the of the Order kept refusing to turn down the Conspiracy of Silence. The Skaven-"

"Are what brought us to this hellscape disguised as a paradise to begin with, and last I checked, I didn't get any support from you and the others who also conceded that the Skaven were planning something. Yet despite that, you refuse to take the precautions that could very well have prevented this whole scenario to begin with." Saltzpyre interrupted, his disapproval of Ulreik clear as crystal glass. "And while this world isn't consumed in war and blood like ours is, I will acknowledge that the Monsters are a threat to our species that has to be addressed. Speaking of which, Kerillian found some information that is useful." Victor then repeated what had been shared with Ulreik, examining his work so far. Ulreik listened intently, then placed a hand under his chin.

"So it seems this Witch Hunt Village is starting to suffer a wasteful purge of its inhabitants, and you're considering investigating the Lord that rules over it. Hmph, well, at the very least this Lord needs to be reigned in and replaced, at worst they are an agent of the Monsters, or even Chaos, and must be purged at once." Ulreik concluded. Ulboro came by, and the two Witch Hunters looked at him.

"Lazarus has been at least somewhat aware of what has been going on at Witch Hunt Village, and he has agreed with me that we need to establish a permanent base of operations. Since Illias Kruez has a bad reputation however, he was hesitant about going there in fear of the villagers turning on him and his followers, but after I reminded him of why he founded the organization, he has agreed to take the Lord of Witch Hunt Village down from her seat of power. We will not be doing so today however. We will here wait for the rest of the day and tomorrow for the rest of Illias Kruez to get a chance to return, and one more to prepare to bring her to justice for her betrayal and inexcusable neglect of duty to her people." the Warrior Priest said. Ulreik scoffed at how short a time span it was, as he dragged from his pipe.

"Just how small is this world?" he muttered to himself, then sighing. "Well, at least we'll have something to do, like show those amateurs at this Witch Hunt village something about witch-hunting..."


	23. Chapter 23

**Vermin Tide Quest**

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Chapter 23

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As Luka made his way to the beach to help the Mermaid Meia to become married to her lover, he looked at the Ball of Guidance, find it a curious object. It was emitting the green color that was flowing from the river he followed and into the trees. He was now ever curious about these strange... energy? Elements? He wasn't sure what they were, but in the case of the Ball, the green aura was almost woven into it, flowing out and around it, and then back into it to flow out again like an infinite river of water. Alice looked at him, and sighed, bringing Luka to focus on her. Ever since he calmed down from the incident with Lazarus and the new other-worlder in the ranks of Illias Kruez, Luka had been slightly more... crest-fallen. When digging through the rubble, it was discovered some of the Mermaids were critically injured, and taken to the hospital, Alice watched as he was tensed up about, and 'relieved' him last night with her tail. Even so, he insisted on fulfilling the task of taking the Written Pledge Meia gave him to the Sea Queen. While Alice did consider it annoying that they were getting side-tracked, she decided that letting him do so would help keep his mind off of what happened. Even so...

"You do know that if you keeping staring at it every five seconds, you may as well be painting a target on your back?" she said. "What do you find so fascinating about the Ball of Guidance anyways?" she asked. "In fact, you seemed to occupied with the energies that you are seeing ever since the Daemon tried to control you."

"Well, Morr seemed to know, but he was distracted for today. Since he was a God of the Dead, I assumed it was nothing to pry into." Luka said, not going into details this time.

"What about Illias? You generally say her name while waking up." Alice asked.

"Just the general stuff of reminding me of my duty as a Hero and to defeat you, so not much to say on that." Luka replied, though Alice didn't get a chance a chance to ask for more detail. "As for the energies I have been seeing, it is just strange they don't seem to match the Elements. For example, this Ball of Guidance is flowing with the green energy. Green is the color that symbolizes Wind in magic formulas right?" Alice nodded her head.

"True, but this could simply be something else to the energy we are missing out on." Alice pointed out. Luka then nodded, conceding the argument the Lamia gave him.

"That could be so, but plants are associated with earth, so why would it collect within them?"

"Perhaps that is just the water entering their bodies after the roots drink it up, bring this energy in within them." Alice said, and she swore she felt something staring into her back. She turned around, and saw one of the wood creatures staring at her, and shake its head. Suddenly it slicked back into the tree, while Luka spoke up.

"Alice, you see something?"

"No. So, continuing on the topic at hand?"

"Ah yes, well, while that could explain it, that would mean that when rain falls the green energy should be infused with it,but it is not. When we were out at sea, the storm clouds which were raining were suffused with the blue energy, which was like lighting but somehow separate from actual lighting in that I could see move about from one point to another, and when Alma Elma cleared away the clouds, the amount of blue energy was reduced, but still there all the same. The rains were also not infused with this energy, so I think there is some more to them." Alice raised an eyebrow at this.

"You have given this a lot of thought haven't you?" she asked. Luka shrugged, as he put the Ball of Guidance back into its bag. Suddenly a woman screamed in what sounded like blood-curdling pain, drawing the attention of the two travelers. Alice scryed in the direction the screams came from, when a clashing sound was heard. She then sensed that two Monsters were being attacked, and Luka ran on ahead to fight whoever was attacking them, which she realized were something she couldn't recognize. She stayed back to observe the fight, when she sensed something coming from behind. She swiped with her tail, hitting something which made a grunting sound before passing out. When Alice turned, she saw it was a lizard like creature, and then two more appeared, snarling and hissing in anger at her. They had Human limbs, and were covered in blue scales like Dragons, but all over, including their torsos and neck which reminded her of muscular men. They carried strange swords with what seemed to a wooden core with a series of glass blades running down the sides, and shields that were large and bulky even by their large body proportions. "What in the world are you?" she muttered, though to them specifically.

* * *

***BGM: COMBAT IN THE RUINS FROM DARKEST DUNGEON***

* * *

Meanwhile, Luka ran over to where the screams were coming from, and stopped in shock when he broke through the tree-line after around a minute of running. He saw what were three battered and bruised Monsters, a Sea Cucumber Girl, a Crab Girl with many arms and a Sea Shell Girl with what like to be a broken arm being held at bay by a single lizard creature, wielding a club made of what looked like gold wrapped around a heavy stone at the end who looked just as beaten and bloodied. "What are you doing?!" Luka yelled as he ran forwards at it. Not only that, but he noticed that it was emitting an aura of light that was only visible in contrast to the darkness that Alice and other Monsters radiated. _Wait, Light and Darkness are opposites, could it be that this creature is not a Monster, and is attacking them as a result? _Luka speculated, before bring Angel Halo up into a guard stance. The Crab Girl then created a bunch of bubbles, and tried to tackle the beast creature from behind. Her carapace was cracked, and Luka noticed that there was a second lizard creature coming out of the water while roaring in anger, drawing the Sea Shell and Sea Cucumber away.

"How?!" the Sea Shell yelled. "We just threw you in the ocean!" the Crab, who was struggling to keep the lizard she tackled on the ground turned to the others.

"Less talk, more fight!" she yelled, then turned to the Human with several of the many Human arms she was planning to put the beast in Critical Ecstasy with. "Who are you, and why would you help us?!" she cried out. An explosion was suddenly heard, as a third lizard flew out onto the sand, covered in wounds that looked like they were torn into its body. The one that the Crab Girl was wrestling with suddenly screamed, a loud wailing of rage as it suddenly found the strength to lift itself up, along with the Crab Girl. "KKKYYYAAA!" she screamed, as it lifted it's arms held by her crab pincers, and proceeded to twist them so that it grabbed a hold of them, then pulled its arms forward, as Luke realized was an attempt to rip them off when the Crab Girl shrieked once more as they popped. Luka ran forwards, and roared as he performed a Thunder Thrust, getting the first hit into the scaly neck of the creature. It was shocked in some way by the swords' sealing abilities, and released the Crab Girl, who crawled away to the forest in a panic. Alice appeared in front of her, covered in blood as she watched the fight, making the Crab Girl pause in shock. The two then turned, and saw that the Sea Shell and Sea Cucumber were being pushed back by the lizard Monster that they were fighting. As they watched, Luka was also struggling, as the beast was now focused on him, attacking with its bare fists in an attempt to smash the smaller and more agile Human boy. Luka eventually was able to perform a Demon Decapitation on it, and the lizard creature suddenly widened its eyes as Luka finally defeated it. However, instead of being sealed, the beast suddenly fell over and started to have a seizure, whacking the confused Human in the chest, causing Alice to dash towards him.

"Luka!" she cried out in shock, slithering over to him, and placing her tail in between him and the convulsing beast that attacked him. As Luka wheezed in pain, the Monster Lord looked over at the Human boy, then suddenly the lizard that succumbed to Angel Halo suddenly rolled onto its back, arching it up as it screamed in pain, frothing at the mouth as it did so. Then, a tear of light form at its chest, and blasted into the sky, then closed up. The lizard creature then fell still, its tongue lolling out as its mouth gaped open like its empty eyes. The second beast did not seem to feel fear upon seeing its comrade die however, as upon realizing what happened, it let out a roar similar to its companion, and began to finish off the Sea Cucumber Girl by grabbing her by both sides of the Monsters head. As her eyes widened, the Monster reached up and grabbed at the beasts' wrists.

"NO! NOO!" the Monster screamed in terror as she tried to pry the arms off, but her skull was crushed like a overripe fruit before she could do so. The Sea Shell Girl, when it turned and suddenly charged her with a burst of speed the others hadn't done so before closed her shell. Alice, Luka, and the Crab Girl were shocked at this display of violence, before realizing they had to save the Sea Shell Girl. Alices' suddenly glowed, as she threw a handful of sand at it. When the beast turn in response, her eyes flashed, and the creature was petrified into stone.

* * *

***BGM ENDS***

* * *

As Luka was helped up, he then meditated, and flinched as cracking and popping sounds were heard by the three living monsters present, who cringed as he buckled over. As he got back up and breathed heavily, the Crab spoke up.

"What the hell was that just now?" the Crab Girl asked him, then turned to Alice. "Uh, I'm sorry mi'lord." the monster apologized, kneeling as low as she could without hurting herself.

"No, don't bow, I don't want you to hurt yourself." Alice said quickly. "Just tell me what happened?"

"We were minding our business hunting for food on the beach, maybe even a mate." the Sea Shell said, turning her lower half into a skirt. As she walked over, the Monster gestured to the Sea Cucumber Girls corpse with her good arm, and her voice dropped slightly. "Yume and I were, to clarify. As we were exploring the area, we encountered a old man with a raven on his shoulder and gave chase after him. Somehow, he was using magic to stay away from us, and escaped, though we suspect the raven is some familiar that enabled him somehow. Then, two of these creatures appeared from the forest you came from, and attacked us. We stood our ground, thinking that since they appeared to be male, they would fall easily to our temptations. Instead, well, that was how I got my arm smashed in, along with some broken ribs." While Luka thought she looked perfectly fine, he remembered monsters were tough as nails, hence why he got the Angel Halo sword to assist with defeating them.

"I heard fighting going on, and rushed over when I heard her scream." the Crab Girl spoke up, wincing when she tried to move her sprained pincers. "At that point, I rushed in to help, but one of them struck me good with that club weapon it was carrying." she said, pointing to the weapon in question, which Luka now noticed was covered in blood. "As far as we now, they didn't even communicate in any understandable language. We did make out words, but most of them I'm not even sure I can pronounce." Alice seemed to perk up at that. Luka however frowned, the fact he killed a creature that was likely not aware of where it was and what was going on when the Monsters approached it sinking in.

"I ran into three more, and got rid of them easily as you can see." she said, and everyone looked at the charred lizard creature. "Luka, do you picked up anything about them?" she asked of the Human, who she then saw that he was holding onto his head. "Hey, Luka, are you ok?"

"Alice, I just killed another being! I just committed a murder!" he suddenly shouted, as the other Monsters backed off. The Sea Shell then spoke up. As she spoke, Luka grabbed at his head, and started to hold on tightly to his hair.

"Shall I-"

"No, I'll handle this." Alice interrupted, as she waved them off. The Monsters went their separate ways, while took Luka and pulled him away from the dead. "Hey Luka, that wasn't your fault."

"I was the one who struck them dead!" he cried out in reply, his voice taking on a horse tone. Alice began to feel a sense of multiple eyes staring at her and Luka, and recognized it as the same sensation that she felt when the Daemons of Chaos were drawn to Leopold talking about them. Luka started to grip his hair even tighter, as he started to breathe heavily. However, were she and Tamano felt a sense of Blood-lust and rage, these ones exuded an aura of despair, guilt, and fear.

_Shit, are they guilt tripping Luka? _Alice thought, her eyes widening slightly. _No, I can't sense them whispering to him, but it seems more like they are amplifying his emotions. _At that point, Alice grabbed Luka, and held him still so that he was forced to make eye-contact. "Luka, calm down and think about this, they were attacking you right?" Luka breathed in, then out.

"Yes. What are you saying- Gyaah!" Luke suddenly cried out, as one of the Daemons started to forcefully possess him, causing Alice to flinch as she felt several others trying to burrow into her mind. As she turned herself inwards to get them out, she called out to Luka.

"Luka, don't listen to the thing inside you!" she yelled out, before entering her mind scape. When she saw the Daemons that were trying to control her, she was repulsed by their appearance. They appeared as meter tall bipeds diseased with leprosy or some other flesh-eating ailment, having distended bellies and either having a single eye or three arranged in a triangle that were all milky white. Their skins were pale green, and the smell was enough to make Alice want to hurl. Even so, she maintained her composure as they chanted in some kind of demonic tongue as they approached her slowly within a mental image the Lamia had of her castle, as though their withered legs were going to snap. She smiled, and mentally cast Omega Blaze, lobbing a fiery projectile that scorched and burned them to blacken husks. However, they kept moving, and their bodies somehow proceeded to put themselves back together.

"What in the name of the Dark Goddess are you?" she muttered, the hair on the back of her neck starting to raise up, as this was a display of power that they could take the kind of damage unleashed upon them, that or it was the same as the Human Knight that attacked his own kind and committed suicide to prevent capture. Suddenly one of the Daemons smiled, revealing rotted and broken teeth, before walking forward with rusted sword raised. "Oi, back away form me." Alice snarled, then blasted the Daemon with Frost Omza. This time, it struck the Daemon, and sent the creature flying into a pillar. Alice watched as the other two approached, and zipped at them as the block of ice she struck the first one with began to melt into a rancid and disgusting bile like liquid. This was going to take awhile...

* * *

**POV SHIFT**

* * *

As Alice fell unconscious, Lukas' eyes fluttered. He was in this fog-filled place, gray and lifeless, a void from which he was floating. He was in a state of anguish and grief, hating himself for... something. Why was he so angry to himself? Then suddenly, he remembered killing the creature. As he began to grab at his head, mentally lambasting himself for the murder he just committed, a voice began speaking that he could not place the source of. It was one which had an almost... familial tone to it, like a grandfather speaking to his childrens' children, and it was soothing towards him.

_**Luka... you do not have to treat yourself like this. Your not an evil man like you are treating yourself to be. **_The Voice said, as Luka felt his lungs burning with phlegm, and a wave of nausea overwhelmed him to the point of dry retching. As it spoke, he heard someone coming.

"Hey, are you alright?" the voice of a woman he recognized as the Crab Girl he felt rang out. "Hey, what is that- by the Dark Goddess!" As Luka turned, he saw the Monster rushing up to him. "What is happening, where is that stench coming from?" she cried out. Suddenly a Daemon appeared, and proceed to stab in the stomach before she could react with a rusty blade, and the Monster proceeded to gasp at the shock and pain. Luka then realized that this was one of the Chaos Daemons in the area, and his mind began to flow with a thousand thoughts. As the Monster fell over, she started to suffer some form of disease.

"What are you doing?! You're killing her!" he yelled out, as the Crab Girl moaned in pain.

_**No Luka, she is merely receiving one of my gifts. Her body is simply not used to such power, and will need some time to get used to it. Not like you, Humans are more then able to take on the blessings I give them, because of their weakness, though albeit in your case you seemed to have lost your memories, but they'll flow back to you in time.**_

"What do you Humans are better able to handle your gifts then Monsters?" Luka asked of the Voice, which laughed boisterously.

_**You are quite curious. **_Luka blushed in embarrassment. **_No no, no need to feel ashamed for that. Imagine a cup that represents a creatures' magical potential with water in it based on how strong that creature is. What I do when blessing my children is merely the same as pouring more water into the cup. With Humans, because the cup is empty, they can handle it better then Monsters, whose cups are almost overflowing, but do not worry, she'll still survive if she has the will to handle the extra power she'll gain._**

"Wha, what is happening? I can't feel my face..." she said, as the skin sloughed off her face revealing a cracking skull and eyes melted away into nothingness. The Voice then chuckled slightly, and as Luka heard it, he saw her head perk up in response to it. "Who are you? Where are you, I can't see..."

_**Well now, my dear children, I'm... Nulgaroth. I have come to you because your despair called to me, and I want to make you part of my family.**_

"Children?" Luka asked, confused at what was happening. Alice made a grunting noise and twitched, causing Luka to crane his head to her. "What is going on? My thoughts, I... I can't seem to get them straightened out."

"What do you mean make us part of your family?" the Crab Girl asked.

_Luka... luka... _A voice that Luka recognized as another woman spoke. it was faint and muffled, but it was there.

"Who is that?" he asked, the Crab Girl looked at Luka, drifting in the void like he was.

"Hey, Human, what's going on?" suddenly, the Monster disappeared as Nulgaroth spoke to Luka.

_**Luka child, do not listen. That was the goddess that made your kind, but she is not someone who cares for you, not like I will... **_as Luka watched, he found himself at his home, and heard singing. **_I can give you what you lost, that which the plague that ravaged your village and taken your mothers' life. _**He then noticed he was sitting at a chair at a table, and Luka watched as his mother Lucifina set a plate of eggs and sausage in front of him. Confused, he then saw he set another plate where a man he recognized as his father. As the two kissed, Luka smiled, and went to take a bite, when he suddenly remembered his quest.

"Wait, you're saying you can bring back the dead? If so, I can't accept that. Not yet, I have a quest to bring peace to the world by establishing coexistence between Humans and Monster."

:What are you talking about?" Luka turned, and saw a Lamia slithering over to him, before wrapping her arms around him and placing her breasts on his back. "Grand Father Nulgaroth is more then able to unite our races, but he can't do it without you." She then picked up Lukas' plate, stuck a fork in the sausage, and offered it to him. "Won't you take a bite, husband?" Luka hesitated, and then started to open his mouth.

_LUKA! _The womans' voice shrieked, loud enough that he felt like his ears would burst. Suddenly he was overcome with a purple aura lining the edges of his vision, and he saw a woman with whites wings in a cloud of some kind. In it, his mind was suddenly clear and sharp, and he realized it was Illias. "LUKA, GET UP TO YOUR FEET AND STAND HERO!" she screamed, her voice frantic and her outstretched arm pointing down to Angel Halo, pure terror in her face and eyes as the vision suddenly cut off, and Luka was in the real world, and lunged for Angel Halo.

_**NNNOOOO! **_The combined voices ofNulgaroth and the copies he made of Alice, and Lukas' parents screamed, and Luka felt a sharp pain in his arms as it began to rot. He ignored it however, and grabbed the Angel Halo out of pure adrenaline. Last time he allowed a Daemon to control him, it killed a Monster, and he can't let that happen again, lest this one do something more. Suddenly, Angel Halo shot a sensation of power into him, and Luka suddenly felt his strength return, as a burst of Holy power shot through him. Nulgaroth made a pain-filled scream of rage, as he felt this thing not only being banished from him, but a part of Nulgaroth that was separate yet connected to him get utterly obliterated. As he turned to go and help the Crab Girl, she suddenly started to panic, before shaking and sending parts of her body everywhere.

"No no! Don't kill me!" she screamed, trying to get away from him. "I did nothing to you!"

Luka, realizing that Nulgaroth was making her panic, then rushed forwards to save her with Angel Halo. However, she got out one last sentence before he could seal her and release the hold Nulgaroth had on her.

"GRANDFATHER HELP ME!" suddenly an arm shot out of the Crab Girls' torso, and grabbed Angel Halo. The Crab Girl continued yelling until stopping as she realized she was saved.

"Guh?" Luka grunted, as the limb began to burn from simply touching it, and a malevolent scream of rage could be heard as he was thrown back. At the same time, Alice began to awaken, and the first thing she saw was Luka being flung several feet backwards, and kicking up sand when he landed with a grunt. She then turned and saw the corrupted Crab Girl, and was horrified. She was like a Zombie, only she was more ruptured and necrotic flesh and organs then dead but still attractive Monster. Alice launched herself into the air while screaming in terror, and sped towards and then behind Luka.

"WHAT HAPPENED TO HER?!" she screamed in fear, clinging to the Human boy.

"CHAOS!" Luka screamed back. "NOW GET OFF ME AND LET ME FIGHT!"

* * *

**POV SHIFT**

* * *

As Illias fell back on her throne, the frazzled Goddess of Light was sweaty to the point that her dress was visibly damp at the front and under her armpits. "Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit..." she muttered to no one in particular while breathing heavily, while Morr simply spun a wineglass full of the liquid, and a number of Angels muttering to themselves as they watched the fight taking place at the beach. Illias noticed Morr was looking at her, and while he was still stoic with his mouth, his eyes betrayed a slight hint of amusement.

"What in the fuck is Nulgaroth?" she asked of Morr.

"He is one of the Chaos Gods, and his real name is Nurgle. The Gods tend to go by epitaphs to avoid immediate detection bu those mortals assigned to hunt down their cults." Morr said, then took a sip of wine. "He is fed by the despair and fear of death that all mortals feel in way or another, and spreads plagues and blights wherever his servants go. They celebrate death and stagnation, as for them, and hold the belief that all life must come to an end, so that new life may grow anew." the God of the Dead explained, while pointing at the mutated Crab Girl. "They tend to be an absolute pain to put down, though thankfully Lukas' Angelic heritage seems to leave him immune to the side-effects that usually come from being near them." Illias noticed that Morr was now more interested towards the son of Lucifina then normal.

"Is this something you have seen before?" Illias asked, as Morr turned to look at her. Morr then took a longer sip from his glass, then replied.

"Yes, it is rare in my world, since we don't mate with our servants, but there are those who are immune to Chaos, even repel it due to their nature." Morr replied, then he got up. "I'm going to take my leave, as helping you break through Nurgles' filthy paws was a lot more taxing then I thought." as he started to leave back to his Garden, Illias frowned.

"Liar." she whispered, sensing there was more that was left out... specifically that he had a renewed interest in Luka. As Promestein came over to Illias, she spoke up.

"Goddess." the red-headed Angel said as she bowed, but not out of respect. "We have found that a number of small, (and thus unnoticeable unless you are already looking,) portals have opened throughout the world and have been depositing various peoples form the other world, one of which is currently about to appear in San Illias." Morr stopped, and turned to Promestein and Illias.

"What do you mean?" Illias asked. "Show me." the fight between Luka and the corrupted Crab Girl had ended by this point, and as such she wanted to see what else would be ahead of Luka. He was more then strong enough at this point to take the challenges ahead to the Sea Queen, though Illias would have to see what is going to interfere with her plans ahead of his path. Especially since this was one of the destinations she actually wants him to go to.

Promestein then had a device which showed the city of San Illias from above, specifically one of the neighborhood squares where people were walking about. Morr hovered over Promesteins' shoulders, as a vortex of energy opened up, causing the people there to freak out at the sudden shock as the energies of the Warp screamed in their minds, paraylsing them and making many fall over in a panic. Suddenly, it spat out a number of obvious warriors, one of which was a battle mage of some sort with a staff. They were dressed in resplendent armor, and had ears that were pointed and sharp, giving them away to be Elves. Unlike the Humans like Balthasar Gelt and his troops who were disoriented, these Elves were able to make the trip with their faculties alert and ready. One of the Elves began to approach a women, and was about to speak when she began to back up.

"M-M-MONSTERS!" the woman screamed, and the Elf was visibly taken aback as she ran away in fear along with those who were also there. A unit of guards began to charge the Elves, who were clearly confused at the fact they were being attacked by the Humans. Morr then sighed as the Angels looked at him.

"Before you ask, yes, those are Elves from my world. High Elves thankfully, and you should probably direct them to the nearest exit before their leader blows up half the city." Morr explained, though his tone was one that was of the irritated kind. "I also happen to know who the mage leading them is." on cue, the Elf mage lifted his staff and pointed it at the guards, who were blown back as lighting bolts shot out and blasted them away.

"What's his name?" Illias asked.

"Teclis."

* * *

**POV SHIFT*

* * *

"Move! Into the building there!" Teclis yelled, pointing at what looked to be an inn. He was supposed to have at least a small army of around two hundred or so of the High Elven army, drawn from the garrisons in Ulthuan to set up a scouting position within the other world and find Balthasar Gelt as well as make any potential allies with the natives of this land to fight against the mutual scourge of Chaos. So, when he and his honor guard of five found themselves within a Human city, one of his men approached a women, only to rebuked as they suddenly ran. Now however, they had to barricade themselves within the inn, and thus ran forwards through the doorway before the owner could close it shut. As the Humans began to panic and babble amongst themselves in whatever language they spoke, one which was not familiar to the well-traveled High Loremaster. His mind was running a thousand mental calculations of what to say, as a banging was heard from the door. One of Elven men assigned to Teclis, a Lothren Sea Guard by the name of Aeclion spoke to him, while the others pushed the Human civilians back.

"Mi'lord, what now?" the soldier asked, spear at the ready in case someone managed to slip through the small four-elf wall, nose cringed at the smell of the taverns' smell. "Gods, I already to leave this place." Suddenly, Teclis gripped his head, and made a groaning sound as he fell back on the door before he could respond. "Loremaster?!" Aeclion called in alarm, before Teclis grabbed his shoulder to steady himself.

"Worry not, I already have a route to go to, thanks to a local deity of this world." Teclis said, pointing at a door in the back. "This way, there's a back entry way. Oh, and don't attack to kill unless all other options are exhausted, we did basically barge into this city as unwelcome strangers.." As the others looked at the two, Aeclion nodded, and the High Elves shoved the Human crowd aside, though it helped that they were clearly weary and paranoid, and thus most back away as soon as they moved forwards. The front door was suddenly bashed down, and a soldier tried to run down the High Elves, only to blasted back by another bolt of energy by Teclis, just enough to knock him off his feet. After that, the troops were hesitant to approach, as the High Elves found the back door they were looking for and left.

An hour later, they fled westwards of the city, and away from the Humans in it to a forest. Best to let them calm down before they came back to talk about negotiations for an alliance, or at least a non-aggression pact. As they gathered around near the treeline to catch a break, Teclis turned to his honor guard.

"Roll call. State your names, and role." he said. He didn't forget, but it was to get them to snap to alertness, which they did.

"Aeclion, Lothern Sea Guard."

"Hyrion, Lothern Sea Guard."

"Malialon, Lothern, Sea Guard."

"Haricorn, Swordmaster of Hoeth."

"Darrius, Swordmaster of Hoeth."

"Alright, so, as we have found out just now, things have already gone to the Realm of Chaos and back." Teclis said. "But, so far as I can tell from what happened on our way over, the portal was much more stable then what the Skaven created at Ubersreik, so there is a, granted small chance that the others got scattered throughout the world, and are no doubt just as confused as to where they are. Nonetheless, we shall press on with finding the Human Supreme Patriarch Balthasar Gelt, as without him the Colleges of Magic are leaderless, and it will be necessary to aide him in whatever problems he has found himself in."

"Why bother, he got himself sucked into this world, so it's not our problem." Darrius said, eliciting a sigh and a eye roll from Teclis.

"Because the Empire is one of our allies, and I will not simply abandon someone who has spent his life working towards the same goal of banishing Chaos from our world, however short and brief it may be. And make no mistake Darrius, Balthasar has more then done that in the magical and technological studies and contributions he made to the Empire of Man. To abandon him without an effort on our part to rescue him is not only spitting in his face, but in the potential successes the Empire made as a result." Teclis explained. as the brush rustled behind him, the soldiers and mage turned their weapons on the spot. As a creature of some kind resembling a spider and a woman fused together came out, it stopped and stared in confusion.

It did not last long, as the Mutant was immediately attacked and slain on the spot before it could respond. With that, the High Elves went on their way to find a settlement, moving southwards.


	24. Chapter 24

**Vermin Tide Quest**

* * *

Chapter 24

* * *

As the residents of Witch Hunt Village went about their daily business, they were eerily quiet. Due to the constant accusations of the guards, and the hold that the mayor of the town had ensured that no one tried to fight back. Occasionally, a brave villager, or foolish given the Monsters that were omnipresent in this world, would sneak out of the Village, and attempt to escape the witch hunts. While many have fallen prey to the creatures, or got lost in the wilderness and died of thirst or starvation, a rare few have managed to escape, and thus strangers have been avoiding what was going on once word reached and spread throughout Sabasa. One of the latter, a man by the name of Kylis was recounting their story at a camp fire, having been rescued by an old mage when he stumbled into a Minotaurus as he was running away.

"...after my sister was taken away to the mansion by the guards, I had nothing left to lose, so I ran to try and find someone to help." Kylis said, while the mage stroked the feathers of the raven that he was feeding one of the eyeballs of the Minotaurus too. The way the raven greedily devoured the small squishy flesh made Kylis' skin crawl, but then again, Kylis was not going to look a gift horse like this weirdo of a hermit in the mouth. As he shuddered uncontrollably when the raven flew towards the dead Monster and began to tear into the empty eye sockets, the mage spoke up at last, staff resting on his shoulder as he sat on a rock. His hair was snow white, and to Kylis he radiated a sense of being... otherworldly when he cast his spells upon the Monster, but the villager shrugged it off. At first, he thought the old hermit was going to die with him when the Minotaurus tried to fight him, but with a single whispered word, she was felled by the surprisingly spry and healthy Human, her heart blown out by a concussive force. In the back ground, one could even see the blood splatter where the heart laid on the ground.

"Hmm, so that is how bad your village has become, I'm sorry about what happened to your sister." the mage said, before he sighed. The old man then got up, picking up his staff to balance on it. "I suppose it is my duty as a Hero to ensure that these Witch Hunts are stopped at once." with that, he turned to the pet raven he kept with him and whistled to it. The raven made a sound that Kylis thought sounded more like a dog growl then a bird hiss, but came to the old man anyway. As the hermit walked past Kylis, the villager turned around.

"Are you sure? I know you are powerful, but what if the guards try to arrest you? They will no doubt make you out to be a Witch, especially if you just waltz up to the village." the old man stopped, and turned.

"I'll give them a single warning, and if they don't get the message, then they will wish for death." the old man said with a tone of anger in his voice. Kylis swallowed down the knot of apprehension that formed inside him, knowing the violent power this man could unleash if provoked.

"Are you sure you want to do that? They are fellow Humans you know." Kylis stated. "That, and there is the risk of putting the others in danger."

"They may be Humans, but they were tasked with protecting your village and betrayed it along with Lord Lily. I'll also make sure to protect what I can of your fellow villagers, but I am just one individual." the man said, before continuing on while Kylis ran the other way to find a Hero. However, as soon as Kylis was out of earshot, the hermit added "Soon to be two." under his breath. Not only that, but the old mans' face of anger curled in a sadistic smile, as Kylis screamed for help when he was attacked by something that whined like a horse, but with a demonic scream to it. As the sound of flesh being torn apart was resounding in the background of the dunes of the desert, the hermit and his pet raven were in, the raven looked at him and began to speak.

"**Well done my servant, but you are lucky to have been only fulfilling your role of but a humble Hero when you had the gall to command me. Next time I will not be so lenient." **The Daemon that it really was in reality said. The old man scratched his white stubble beard in boredom, not phased by the fact the Daemon in question was a Lord of Change, a Greater Daemon of Tzeentch the Chaos God of Plots, Magic, and the Mysteries of the universe.

"Yes yes, you'll scorch my soul into ash for my pretentiousness, so and so forth." he mumbled in Norscii, as a black horse with blood-covered fangs approached him from behind, crunching a skull and the brain matter within as walked up next to the mage, who then climbed on top of it, and made his way to Witch Hunt Village. "Now then, we now when we first entered this world, we could've recruited that Necromancer I sensed near that Haunted Mansion I passed by. Why did you insist I simply passed by instead?"

"**Hmm, so you like to forced upon by some second rate Necromancer and her Undead creations? Seems you have a bit of depravity the Serpent Slaanesh would love to bring out." **the Daemon said mockingly, making the old man scrunch his nose in disgust. He then remembered going through the memories of an Alraune that made the mistake of coming after him, and upon learning just what a cesspit this new world was before he was chased by a bunch of Saurus Warriors that had somehow followed him into this world.

* * *

_*Some Time Earlier*_

* * *

After he escaped the Lizardmen, the Chaos Sorcerer summoned his Daemonic Steed, and rode off to find some place to settle down for now until he got his bearings. When he encountered a decrepit and abandoned mansion, he decided to investigate it. It was small, but clearly an expensive lodging at one point. He noted that there was a graveyard of some kind, which was surrounded with Shyish, the Amethyst Wind flowing in and around the resting places of the dead. As the Sorcerer approached the mansion itself, he stopped, sensing he was being watched, and turned to see a little girl with purple corpse-like skin was examining him. The way Dhar, the Black Wind of Dark Magic radiated from her body was more then enough to tip him off that she was a Monster like the Alraune he encountered, and she seemed to realize that the old man that was entering her home knew. As she ran away with a look of what seemed to be curiosity, the Sorcerer examined the graveyard again, while the Daemon spoke up.

"**Well now, it seems this place is already occupied. What do you plan to do about it? I sense that Monster to be one who seeks knowledge above all else." **the Lord of Change whispered into the Sorcerers' ear. The Sorcerer sighed, and walked in.

"We'll see how receptive she'll be then, if I offer her the secrets of the Warp..." the Sorcerer whispered back, as he examined the destroyed interior of the Mansion. Suddenly however, he began to sense something coming for him, and turned to some form of ghostly woman. As she stared at the old man before her, she chuckled, smiling lasciviously as she puffed out her bare chest.

"Oh, an other worlder, and their pet, and one I sense an intense aura from. Your essence seems to be rather potent, more so then the average Human mage. I'll certainly-"

"I have no business with a mere spirit. My interest is in the Monster girl that lives in this mansion." the old man interrupted, tell her off as he walked past her without so much as a glance at her. The Ghost Girl huffed, offended by how he ignored her.

"You dare to interrupt me!? I'm better then any living woman, be they Human or Monster!" she snarled, created a phantom hand that flew for the Chaos Sorcerer, when he suddenly turned around, and caught it like it was a physical object. The Ghost Girls' eyes widened in shock. "What?! How?!" suddenly the Daemon perched on the Sorcerers' shoulder cawed as he flew at her with a speed that blurred his form. The Ghost Girl was paralyzed with fear, as the beak grew into a giant maw. Before she could so much as scream, the Lord of Change snapped his jaws shut, devouring the Ghost Girl in a single bite. The Daemon then turned back into the form of a white raven, and settled down of the Sorcerers' shoulder.

"Hmph, should've been more attentive to the fact I called you a _mere spirit_." he said dismissively, and continuing on. As a doll came to life, the old man stared with a disinterested look as it chuckled in a little girls' voice.

"Hey Grand Daddy, let's play a game!" it then launched itself at the Human, who then slapped it away with a back hand, sending the small figurine into a cabinet which then collapsed on top of it.

"Bugger off." he muttered under his breath, then moved on, leaving the Doll struggling to get out of the debris. Upon seeing a flight of stairs, he looked up and saw the Monster at the top of it, staring at him with a look of equal parts curiosity and caution, as she hefted a bone saw that was rather large for her size at the two with inhuman ease.

* * *

***BGM: ICON OF SIN THEME FROM DOOM***

* * *

It then occurred to the Sorcerer and the Lord of Change with him that she had sensed the Daemon killing the Ghost when they first entered the mansion. Clearing his throat, the old man proceeded to speak to the Monster. "Greetings young one. I am-"

"Chrome." the Monster replied, her pink eyes narrowing in what seemed to be chagrin as she frowned. "My name is Chrome, and I am in fact older then some child, even if I happen to sound like one lad." the Daemon then chuckled lightly at the way the Sorcerer was taken aback. "Let's get this out of the way, you're sent by the Imperials to hunt me down and kill me aren't you? And by the way you handled yourself past those other two Monsters, I'd say that Balthasar Gelt I have heard about is the one who sent you." at that, the Sorcerer of Tzeentch growled lightly.

"No. I am not under the employ of the weakling Empire of Man nor serve that upstart of a Wizard Gelt." this seemed to have caught Chromes' attention, as she was surprised by the way he spat out those words. "As I was saying, I am here, because my... colleague here was interested in you."the Sorcerer explained, gesturing to the raven-disguised Daemon on his shoulder. Chrome looked at it, and seemed disturbed when it locked eyes with her.

"What is that thing?" she asked, turning to the Sorcerer with a look of apprehension as she pointed at it. "That is no normal raven, it's radiating some form of weird magical energy, yet I couldn't sense it until it looked at me." with that, the Lord of Change ruffled his feathers, and finally spoke.

"**That's because I am a Daemon, a creature borne of the Warp, from which all magic comes from, and is also the realm of the True Gods." **the Lord of Change said. Chrome was shocked, staring silently as it continued, flying up to her and landing on the railing in front of her. **"If you wonder why I appear to be but a white raven, that is because my true form is not... travel-sized." **Chrome backed up nervously, the aura of Warp energy making her weary. The Monsters' grip on her medical tool tighten out of nervousness as she held it close to her body, apparently starting to grow fearful of the Lord of Change.

"Well, wh-wh-why would you be interested in me? I have no real interest in the Warp and Demons or whatever you call yourselves. I am just a Necromancer trying to restore her family name." at that, the Sorcerer, who had been walking up the stairs slowly so as not to fall through the floor boards replied.

"Ah yes, and before I came here, I was but a mere man amongst countless others." the Sorcerer said. "That was before I learned of the Gods of the Warp, and their power." he then created a ball of Warp Fire, which glowed an iridescent rainbow of colors. When he tossed it at an old and crumbling painting of the former owners of the mansion, Chrome cried out.

"What are you doing?! You're going to burn the mansion down!" she screamed in horror, and then noticed the painting was not burned. As Chrome watched, the painting began to shift and change, the pigments of the ink becoming vibrant, the frame repaired itself, and soon the painting was looking as though it was just newly painted. Then the Warp Fire lit up again, changing the pigments and shifting them around, until it was depicting a silver tower floating in the air above a crystalline labyrinth, and a strange musical tone could be heard.

"Whuh, what is that noise? What's going on?" Chrome asked, feeling the same energies radiate from the painting, which began to shite once once, zooming in on the tower. As it did so, a voice she did not recognize whispered to Chrome. As it shifted in tone and pitch, she could not place it,as changed and twisted with her head.

"_**Do not ask which creature screams in the night. Do not question who waits for you in the shadow." **_It said, as Chrome found some form of shadow covered figure sitting on a throne. She could not make where the figure ended, and where the shadows began due to their constant warping and blurring together however, as the voice continued. **_"It is my cry that awakens you in the night, and my body that crouches in the shadow. I am Tzeentch, and all are but puppets that dance to my tune... including you, Chrome Artise." _**the being in the painting said, as it pointed a limb directly at her. When it began to reach out from the painting, the Monster recoiled when it started to grow a face.

"Waah, what the hell is this?!" Chrome yelled, now starting to freak out. " ScrewI'm having none of this, Frederika, get them!" Suddenly a large Undead woman crashed though the wall with an oversized arm,breaking the painting as Tzeentch cackled madly, his voice fading into the background.

* * *

***BGM ENDS***

* * *

"**Master, why did you not tell us?!" **the Lord of Change screeched as it flew , while the Sorcerer ducked under the massive Zombies' hay maker.

"You are a Necromancer it seems." the Sorcerer casually however, creating a barrier that blocked a second attack by the Zombie, causing it to bounce back. "Even so, we have a common goal in the seeking and acquirement of knowledge!" he then shouted to Chrome who was watching from the background.

"Hell no!" Chrome yelled, pointing at the Sorcerer "I am having nothing to do with that _thing_! Frederika, get that bird-brain there!" she then shouted, pointing at the Lord of Change, then rushing the Sorcerer down, bone saw at the ready. As the Zombie jumped up to catch the Daemon, it suddenly shifted through her hands, and let out a blot of Warp energy that blew off its right arm. Chrome stopped and turned as Federika suddenly screamed, as though her very soul was damaged.

"My creation!" she screamed in shock.

"Worry about yourself fool!" the Sorcerer yelled as he then blasted the floor right out from under her, causing the Monster to scream as she fell through the hole that was made. With that, the two made a run for it, as Federika recovered and tried to attack the Sorcerer upon Chromes' command.

The Daemon then flew down and attacked her, clawing out the Zombies' eyes, and spewed out a stream of Warp Fire on her. As the Zombie began to convulse and scream as their soul was burned to ethereal ash along with their body, the two fled the mansion. Upon exiting it, the sorcerer turned around, and set the entire building on fire with his own spell, as it was likely Chrome had other Undead creatures in the building, the better to not engage directly for long. As the Daemon settled down on its servants' shoulder, he turned and whistled, summoning his steed. As the Necromancers' mansion burned down to the ground, he then picked a random direction, and rode off.

**POV SHIFT**

_Present_

As La Croix walked to the mansion where Chrome was at, she went over the mental list of stuff Chrome asked for, mostly chemicals and a few spools of surgical thread. While Promestein would normally do this, she had some weapons research to look into, until she reached the clearing of the mansion

"What in the..." La Croix muttered, eyes widened with shock. She then ran over to the remains, and began to sift through the remains. While the Angel did not care about Chrome,it was going to be easier to figure out what happened if she survived. Promestein also noticed that the wood and stone, while burnt, had areas where it was altered in some form or another. One particular plank was turned to crystal, which crackled and released a scream that sounded like a woman in pain when it shattered in her hands, a stone broke into dust and released a mutated scarab with a shining carapace that she crushed with her foot when it tried to bite her. When she heard a crashing sound, La Croix turned and saw Chrome bursting out from a pile of rubble, covered in soot as she coughed and hacked.

La Croix walked over to the Monster, and knelt down as she helped her up. "What happened? I'm a friend of Promestein, who was busy and thus couldn't make the transfer." she asked of Chrome, who cleared her throat. Due to a special device called a voice modulator in the mask she wore, La Croixs' voice was made to sound like a different woman entirely, and as not recognized.

"Some old man and his pet Demon happened." Chrome explained, as she told La Croix what happened, also showing she survived by fleeing into her laboratory in the basement, and when the unnaturally destructive flames of magic the Human Sorcerer summoned still continued to burn its way to her, she managed to survive by hiding in one of the coffins she dug up for her experiment, and waited for the fire to run out of fuel and oxygen, praying she wasn't boiled and burned alive inside it. La Croix smiled, as she saw that it was a good form of resourcefulness on part of her younger sister. When she felt that the fire had extinguished itself, she came out to find that her laboratory, along with her experiments was destroyed.

"What do we do now?" Chrome asked. "Those two are going to cause trouble wherever they go, and if they plan to recruit anyone, I hope they don't find anyone who will side with them." the Angel was stoic outwardly as the Necromancer continued to talk, but was starting to feel some form of panic at the possibility that the Gods of Chaos were starting to mobilize their forces. When Chrome called to her, La Croix snapped to reality.

"Oh, right, yes, I suppose we should hunt them down." she said, then began to look for clues. Upon locating a set of hoof prints, she turned to Chrome, and pointed to them. "Found something, tracks leading away from here. I'll call Promestein, she'll help us out."

"Ok." Chrome said, calming down for a bit. After awhile, Promestein showed up, wearing a woven body armor instead of her usual outfit. As she approached, La Croix noticed that she was wearing an amulet with the raven symbol of Morr along with the cross of Illias causing a red flag to raise up as she spoke.

"Do you have a second shelter.

"I suppose I can find another place to go, but I don't really have a back up shelter if that is what you are saying. Why are you asking?" Chrome replied in a sheepish and confused maaner as she saw the necklaces Promestein was wearing before La Croix could stop her.

"Good, that's one less loose end." Suddenly Promestein pulled out a boxier version of the pistols Victor Saltzpyre was observed carrying much to the shock of La Croix, and shot Chrome with it in the torso, killing her instantly. Despite the black powder weapon normally being loud, Promesteins' own pistol was modified so that it fires a beam of Light instead, which was silent at the the cost of being brighter as the Monsters' chest exploded when the white ray of the Elemental energy burned through her. As it flashed for but a half second, it still transferred enough energy into Chrome that her chest exploded, leaving a crimson hole as she was shot dead on the spot, and fell with a thud.

"NO!" La Croix yelled out, only to be silenced when she was shot in the head, and fell over dead as the top half of her skull was practically sheered off. Promestein sighed as she put away.

"Nothing personal, but if Illias is going to continue having the Gods of the Imperials to work alongside her, I have to discontinue all research into Necromancy, and unfortunately, Morr defines that as also killing you and your sister in the process..." with that, Promestein pocketed the weapon, and picked up the corpse took down into the basement to have them buried, while three Angels rode up from the treeline on horseback in Human disguise, one of them leading Promesteins' own mount by it's leash. When Promestein emerged after wards, she hopped on her steed, and pointed towards San Illias. "This way, I have reason to believe that we have someone to find before we head out to meet with Illias Kruez Witch Hunt Village."

"Yes sir." all of the Angels said, though as they set out Promestein could tell they were still paranoid towards her, due to it now being known to them that she was affiliated with the last two known members of the Artise family, who were known for being hereditary Necromancers in the Monster Lords' courts until they were exiled. As they set out however, none of them notice the way a painting that was miraculously undamaged was facing them, and the eye that followed Promestein as they left the scene.

* * *

**POV SHIFT**

* * *

As Teclis and his escort made their way back to the sea shore, they ran into more of the Chaos Mutants as they traveled, which so far seem to be gravitating towards the High Loremaster and his entourage. What was strange was they almost always reacted as though they never seen a High Elf before. That, and so far they all had female bodies, and were casting leary glances at Teclis and the male Elves, their female companion Malialon being mostly ignored. Every time they attacked,they did so alone, apparently confident in their skills to fight six Elves at once, which universally so far cost them their lives when said High Elves fought in coordination with each other, and soon they were covered in blood from multiple slain Mutants, growing ever increasingly agitated by the substances' stench and wanting to bathe. Eventually, the Mutants seemed to have caught the hint, as they were now left alone.

As Haricorn and Darrius took the lead, Teclis stayed in the middle while the Sea Guards took the rear lines with their bows and arrows at hand. As they traveled along a road, Haricorn stopped and looked around, visibly starting to become confused now. The High Loremaster noticed, and turned to the Swordmaster

"What is it?" Teclis asked, as the group focused their attentions on him.

"No patrols. We've been walking down this road for at least two hours, and we have found nothing but Mutants who are finally getting a hint that we are the elite of the elite, but not a damn patrol or task force assigned to keep said Mutants from attacking travelers. We know there's a Human city where we came from, so we should have found something." the soldier explained, pointing out how isolated they seemed to be. However, Hyrion saw something, and squinted his eyes.

"Huh, you spoke just a bit too soon, a see a group of what looks to be scouts. They are also all women, however... and unlike the abominations we have encountered so far, they appear to be Human from what I can discern." he said, the Sea Guard stepping aside as Teclis and the others walked over to inspect them. As Teclis focused on the riders, who were afar off, he saw they indeed appeared Human. To see if he can distinguish any markings of identity on them, he channeled the Blue Wind Azyr to summon the Lens of the Sky, creating a blue ring of the Wind of Heavens. From inside it, the High Elves saw that it was a red-headed woman who had a stoic face, wearing a form of fabric body armor on a horse that was pure white. With her were three other women, who wore armor that was of a design they didn't recognize. However, Teclis frowned, as he noticed that he saw a faint outline of Hysh, the White Wind of Light surrounding them in a manner that Dhar, the Black Wind of Dark Magic surrounded and permeated the Mutants of this land.

"Something off about them my lord?" Aeclion asked, as Teclis continued to look at them, his mind running wild inside. He then turned to the Sea Guard.

"The Wind of Light seem to be... attracted to them. They could be the equivalent to a Hierophant from the College of Light and her apprentices, but their equipment says otherwise, as their armed more like standard soldiers. I'm just going over theories as to who they could be, and looking at their iconography for clues." the High Loremaster explained. "So far, they have a cross symbol that is the only common denominator of their religious views, but that is the only main symbol I recognize that is not simply a variation of said cross."

"Ah shite, think they worship Solkan or some equivalent of Solkan?" Darrius asked, causing the group to wince. Many know of the Gods of Law, whose servants were like the servants of Chaos but in the other extreme end. Solkan in particular was the God of Law version of the Hound, who sought justice and the upholding of his commandments to an absolute degree that was second only to Khornes' blood lust. However, while his servants were helpful in fighting Chaos, they are infamous for the way they constantly harass those who don't worship the same God, or the Avenger as he was also known amongst the common folk.

"I hope not." Malialon muttered. As the party rode up to them, the red haired woman spoke in Riekspiel, much to the surprise of the High Elves.

"I'm Promestein, Angel servant of Illias the Goddess of Light and Heaven, the realm of the Angels. I was sent by her to seek you out after what happened in her holy city of San Illias." the woman introduced herself. Teclis then walked over to the strange 'Angel' as she introduced herself, and replied in kind.

"I am Teclis, High Loremaster and Warden of the White Tower of Ulthuan, Island Nation of the High Elves. I came here in search of a man named Balthasar Gelt, who was sent here to your world along with a number of Humans from the same world I come from. By the fact you are speaking fluently in Reikspiel as I am as well, you must have encountered him." Promesteins' eye twitched, and her mouth curled slightly down for split-second as she seemed to remembered a bad memory. When she resumed her normal stoicism, Promestein replied.

"Yes, I have had an... encounter with him. To tell you the truth, we have a situation that could lead to a war across this world, and as such I was sent to explain what has been happening since then..."

* * *

**POV SHIFT**

* * *

As Alma Elma struck the last of the patrol with a fist that sent him careening to the ground, she looked around the area to evaluate her groups' status. The Empires' State Troopers had swarmed the Monsters, and all of them were bloodied to varying degrees, Alma herself being the only one uninjured from the fighting that happened. As one of the Succubi, a mature matronly one with dark crimson eyes and hair to match sat down on a tree stump, an Elf walked over to examine her, as she showed a missing hand bleeding on the bandaged hastily wrapped around it.

"What happened?" Alma Elma asked, as her eyes widened.

"Tried to pleasure one of the Humans with my hands, and he chopped it with his sword. Hurts like hell, but nothing a little healing will do." the Succubus explained. Suddenly, an arrow flew through the treetops, and embedded itself in her eye, and the Monster flew over as several more flew about and began to hit the Monsters still standing, all either a head shot, or striking into their chests and piercing their hearts. As the various Imperials saw this, they took this as the opportunity to fall back. Alma Elma then immediately shouted, grabbing one of the arrows loosed at her, then creating a barrier of Wind that deflected the others away.

However, she then winced as she registered the feeling of spikes in her hands, and examined the arrow to find its shaft was barbed, as well as the tip, with fetching made of blue and white feathers. As she quickly looked about and scryed the trees that the arrows came from, she sensed one, no three archers jumping from tree to tree, firing a constant stream of arrows as they moved. This was a clear pattern to make it seem as though there were more of them, and they stopped and focused their attention on her. Alma then realized they must have realized they were spotted, as they fired a volley at her with inhuman speed. Realizing that these must have been Monsters of some kind, she turned to her team.

"Fall back! I'll cover your retreat!" Alma Elma yelled, then shot forwards at the attacking traitors, swiftly grabbing one of them, and smashing them into the tree. The archer was wearing a mask of some kind from which only their nose and eyes could be seen, the mouth covered by a dark blue bandana. She did not recognized the highly ornate chain mail, conical helmet, or red cape, but there was no mistaking the ears that poked out from the sides of the groaning womans' head. "What the, you're an Elf?! What are you doing so far away from Erika?!" she cried out. She then sensed another arrow was fired at her, and ducked her head, as the arrow whisked just shy of hitting her eyes. She then realized only one of the ambushers was attacking her, while the other was splitting away to go after her kin when she attacked their comrade.

As the branch she was on shook, Alma turned and saw a second Elf had jumped onto the same branch. This wore the same dark blue bandana which wrapped the lower half of their face, as well as the same mail and cape, which both moved noiselessly and did not get caught in the brush somehow. They then drew a sword which was leaf-shaped, and glared at her with the same contempt and hate the Humans with Gelt had whenever they encountered the Monsters. Alma was not shocked by that however, but in the fact she could tell by scent that this was a male Elf, and he was not aroused one bit. As the female Elf started to wake up, Alma quickly deflected the attempt to stab her by the male with her tail. The Heavenly Knight quickly mentally filed the questions in her mind away as she fought him off, and whacked him back with her tail and a kick to the stomach.

The male Elf grunted as they were launched back, but quickly regained their footing. He then snarled something, but not in the language that Balthasar and his men used. Alma was visibly confused as to what he said, but knew it was threat regardless.

_Ah bugger, so much for talking it out. _Alma Elma thought, readying herself for the fight as she dropped the female Elf, confident she'll live as Monsters are naturally stronger and tougher then Humans. Suddenly, the male looked away and followed his companion as she fell screaming onto the ground, and Alma realized that he looked at her with horror. "Oh... shit." the Succubus Knight muttered as the Elf she dropped had died, as he turned back to her with a look of rage and fury.


	25. Chapter 25

**Vermin Tide Quest**

* * *

Chapter 25

* * *

Balthasar was organizing the equipment he found in the laboratory with several of the State Troopers with him, most of which he didn't recognize. Nonetheless, he was able to gather various beakers and burners using a gas he recognized as a methane product, phials of concoctions he destroyed by pouring them out what he guessed was the designated disposal area, as well as listing the chemicals and herbs he could identify within them. He had decided that if he was going to be stuck in here, he may as well look into developing weapons to fight against the Monsters with, and as it stands, he also found it useful as a way of partially translating the Monsters' language, which would be helpful information to disseminate to the Troops should he or his men encounter written communications between said Monsters. Looking at a box, he examined the writings on the label on it, and proceeded to open the top of it.

When the smell of rotten eggs struck his nose, he quickly closed it without seeing what was inside, lest it be some kind of poisen. Then, he pulled out a pen with a button on it, a particularly new addition of which one potential acolyte the College of Metal named Josef Fegelheim was developing, of which he made around seven such devices, and gave them to Karl Franz, Balthasar himself, Volk. When he pressed it, the tip came out of the end of it. And wrote out 'Sulfer?' on it in Reikspiel. Moving on to a jar next to it, he saw the glass container had formaldehyde or some liquid within that had a heart, which disturbingly looked Human from its proportions. Convinced it was for some sort of Dark Magic ritual, he grabbed it and passed it a soldier next to him.

"Toss this out." was all Gelt said, though the Imperial was already halfway thereto the disposak chute, and a loud cracking sound was heard as the jar shattered from being roughly thrown out. At that point, Heram appeared, and as the soldier came back the Shadowmancer spoke up.

"Supreme Patriarch." Heram said, bowing to one knee as Gelt ignored him. "Promesteins' back." Balthasar sighed, a long, drawn out breath.

"Really, is the fact I beat her ass into the ground not enough to get Illias to back off?" he asked. "Just blast her head off with a Dart of Darkness and be done with it."

"Um well, she happened to brought Teclis and a number of High Elves with him are also at our doorstep." Heram replied. Balthasar paused, and turned his head slowly to the Grey Wizard. "Yes, as in High Loremaster Teclis, founder of the Colleges." Balthasar proceeded to put the pen away, clicking the button again to retract the tip before putting it in his pocket. As he walked over to the entrance, he pulled aside the thick quilts that were put up to act as a makeshift door until Gelt had it replaced at some point. While walking out to the entrance of the main hall, he found the Elven Wizard sitting on a chair studying one of the books with Promestein in an odd armor reading it over his shoulder, along with several High Elf warriors, his escorts no doubt.

As he entered the room, he also noticed that Promeria was also there, as she flew overhead to the Loremaster and the Angel scientist, wearing a similar uniform as Promestein herself. As the Angels looked at Gelt, the three stared each other down, and Gelt tightened his grip on the Staff of Volens. Teclis quickly interjected, speaking to Gelt in a conciliatory manner.

"Now, before we end up leveling the the castle down, will you at least listen to their offer of a truce?" the High Loremaster asked, trying to peacefully settle things down. Gelt looked at Teclis, then pointed at the two Angels.

"And ignore what these creatures allowed the Monsters to do to the Humans of this world?" he snapped in response. "What did they tell about their attempts to make me submit to Illias?"

"I am aware of what has happened, including the fight between you and Promestein." Teclis replied. "Either way, I first came here to find and bring you back to help the Empire, but after what I have been told, you are doing fairly well despite the expectations of both the Angels and Monsters." Gelt, did calm down a little, though hearing about the Empire made him remember his duties to the Empire.

"So it seems. How has the Empire fared as of lately?" The Supreme Patriarch asked. "As of late, I have been stuck here in this castle, and while I have been more then able to weather several rounds of fighting with the Monsters, as well as slay one of the abominations' prominent warriors, we are stuck dealing with munitions running out." he then said, summering his time in the other world. Teclis sighed, and the serious look he had caused Gelt to already sense what he was going to say.

"It's a Chaos damned waste on our world right now. The Ruinous Powers have sent aide to the Everchosens' forces, for for the first time since Chaos first invaded our world, their mortal servants are attacking from both the north and the south in equally great droves. The Winds of Magic are flowing rapidly out of control, and the Great Vortex is starting to die out. And that is not the worse of it." Teclis said, while Gelt took a seat. After several moments of taking in what he heard, Balthasar spoke up.

"So it's actually real then." he replied bluntly, and to the point.

"What is it?" Promestein asked. As Promeria and the High Elves that came with Teclis looked at the three, the High Loremaster spoke to the Angel.

"Our world is reaching a tipping point, a final war that may very well mean the destruction of it, or liberation from the hands of Chaos altogether." Teclis explained. "The Ruinous powers are unleashing their full fury on our world, seeking to finish their work of destroying it once and for all. My homeland was able to stop the tide of Daemons, their mortal worshipers, and their masters from overrunning the world the first time by creating a rift known as the Great Vortex. Basically, it is a storm created by one of our nations' greatest rulers and a team of Loremasters he assembled, and what this storm in the center does is vent the energies the forces of Chaos require to accomplish their plans back into the Warp. This prevents them from establishing a foothold on the physical world, but the Vortex is growing weak, and nobody in Ulthuan understands why." Teclis explained.

"As such, you came here to recover Balthasar Gelt and his men to help assist you in fixing the Vortex?" Promestein asked. Balthasar snorted as Teclis face palmed at the idea. His escort stared blankly at Promestein, while Promeria

"No, Balthasar would be obliterated by the sheer amount of power that he would be exposed to, same as I." the High Loremaster explained. "However, there only a few ways that the Vortex can be disrupted, and all of them involve conduits made to more effectively channel the Winds into the Vortex throughout all the world known as Waystones. Therefore, that has narrowed down who and what is doing this significantly." Teclis explained. Balthasar looked at Teclis, and then gestured to Promestein.

"So where do they come into this?" Balthasar asked, causing the red-headed Angel to frown slightly. Promeria however spoke up first, the Valkyries' voice indignant.

"we're right here you know." she replied. "As for why we are here, Promestein will explain it better then I can. I'm just here to make sure you don't try anything." Gelt stared at her with a look of amused doubt. Teclis stamped his staff on the ground, and made a bright light that flashed at the tip of it, causing Gelt and Promeria to flinch.

"Oooww! Fffuuuhhh..." Gelt groaned as he rubbed his eyes with his free hand. "I get it, you can create the Wind of Quayish, yadda yadda yadda..."

"I feel like my eyes just got burned with an acid covered rod of iron that was simultaneously stabbed into them." Promeria moaned. The various Elves looked at her strangely.

"That sounded vary, specific..." Aeclan said. "...Exactly how would you know that?"

"Necromancers in this world are weird, even by Monster standards." Promestein said, and saw this raised further questions. "...moving on to the topic of how the Angels can contribute, we can contribute to your efforts to fight off Chaos, both in this world and the other, through weapons such as these." she said, pulling out a pistol, and set it on the table with a gemstone of some kind. Balthasar, once his Witchsight enhanced vision cleared looked at the pistol, and examined it. It was more akin to a square block, and the barrel was blocked off with a lens, and when Gelt looked more closely at the gem Promestein made with it, the jewel shone with the White Wind of Hysh, then the Red Wind Aqshy, cycling through the other Colored Winds of Magic as Balthasars' eyes widen.

"What in the world? This, this is _warpstone_, but in a stable form!" he exclaimed pointing at it to Teclis, then looked at Promestein when she chuckled, a clear smile at the fact she got this kind of reaction out of him.

"No, not warpstone, but when Teclis and I first contacted each other, he did explain the Winds of magic to me and the other Seekers of Truth. When I learned about Powerstones, I managed to create this Powerstone of, uh..."

"Quayish."

"Yes that. The pistol I made there however was a separate project, one I was inspired from observing your Handgunners during the skirmish you had with the Heavenly Knights." Promestein said. "Speaking of which, nice job killing Erubetie. Your approach was rather, unorthodox to say the least."

"Thanks, but I never killed it for Illias." Gelt replied, as he examined the barrel from an angle with a mirror, that way he wouldn't have to stare down it. However, he turned it to face one of his pockets, as he and the room noticed that it was starting to turn blue. "Ah bugger." he muttered, and pulled out the mechanical pen. He saw that the tip was leaking, and sighed as he examined his stained robe. "Gaah, for the love of the Gods." he muttered, while Promestein picked up the pen and looked at it, her eyes practically starry eyed.

"Hmm, well now, this pen's an interesting invention you have here, even as faulty as it is." she said, suddenly taking it apart with a deft and agile blur of motion and examining the components. "Ah, this conical piece here loosen up, releasing the pigment which had apparently been stored here in this tube here, and uh..." the Angel trailed off when she saw that Gelt, Teclis, and the others in the room were staring at her. Promeria cleared her throat and spoke up.

"Promestein, I'm sure there will be time for you to nerd out later. As for the topic of the Powerstone?" the Valkyrie reminded the scientist Angel. Promestein then reassembled the entire pen as quickly as she did dissembling it, and placed it back on the table.

"Right." she said, then turned to Gelt and Teclis. "As it stands, I happened to be the leader of a group known as the Seekers of Truth." Balthasar then made a deep humming sound, as he remembered when she mentioned them. "As you may have guessed, we are in essence a circle of Angels dedicated to research about the hidden secrets of the universe and the like, and-"

"Wait, wait, hold on. What particular kind of secrets?" Gelt asked, hand raised up slightly. Promestein sighed.

"The kind that led to me discovering that there is more then four elements, and the like." Gelt leaned back and sat back down, though he still seemed a bit on edge. Teclis, who also reacted in a similar manner also relaxed.

"Funny thing about that, my branch of the Colleges of Magic, the Gold Order, also does similar research." the Supreme Patriarch said. "I reacted the way I did however, because 'secrets' can be rather broad." Promestein nodded.

"Chaos being one of them." she replied bluntly. "Well, before we get detracted again, these Powerstones, as far as I understand, normally take a long amount of time." Teclis nodded, and pulled out a green one from his staff.

"Correct, this one made from Ghyran the Wind of Life for example, took me about five days to create. With a Human Magister was to try and make one, it would've taken him or her weeks at best to make." the High Loremaster explained. Balthasar stared with what looked like envy, which Promeria noticed while the High Elves seemed to subltely enjoyed the look the Human Wizard had. "Essentially, Powerstones are solidified magic made from one of the eight Winds, while Warpstone is made from Dhar, the Black Wind of Dark Magic created from all eight Colored Winds mixed in a raw, unfiltered form, and is as unstable as the magic from which it has been made. Promestein, nobody has managed to create one made from Quayish, the Wind of High Magic created by weaving the Colored Winds together in a certain way, and this is the first time a Powerstone was made with all eight Colors without making Dhar... Promestein?" Teclis asked, noticing the blank stare the Angel was giving.

"Ok, I know you mentioned the Winds of Magic a lot, but so far I am merely working off of what I could observe from when Balthasar was here fighting the Monsters, and thus don't know much about them."

"What do you mean?" Gelt asked, then his eyes widened in horror, in the same manner as Teclis. "You mean you were using them without learning how to control them?!"

"What do you mean?" Promestein asked.

"The Winds of Magic often twist and turn with what can be considered minds of their own, which makes it difficult to combine them together to perform High Magic, and doing so requires a level of sensitivity that is beyond what a Human is capable of." Teclis explained. "When one tries to combine them, they will react in any number of ways that can end up maiming or even killing those who aren't properly trained in what they are doing with them." Teclis explained. "How exactly do you keep them from destabilizing?"

"It would be easier to show you then to explain it." Promestein said. "I happen to have a secret laboratory in a ruin city called Remina. Problem is, it's located on the other side of this continent. That, and there is another matter." Balthasar sighed.

"What is it, since I'm apparently going to become an errand boy might as well get to the point." Balthasar muttered in annoyance. The High Elves with Teclis frowned, while Teclis raised a hand towards them.

"I did come here with around two hundred other Elven soldiers, but they were scattered throughout the world. Currently, the Angels are gathering them up, but they intend to do so without the Monsters noticing, meaning that you and I will be searching for any within Hellgondo. Thankfully, Illias is willing to guide to them, so that will help us a lot."

"Provided you give her the respect she deserves, of course. That is the one condition she requires of you Balthasar, starting with a prayer of repentance." Promestein added, causing Balthasar Gelt to cringe, much to the Angels' amusement. However, seeing no choice in the manner, the Supreme Patriarch of the Colleges of Magic swallowed down the gob of bile that rose in his throat at the thought of giving any form of praise to the goddess, then replied in a manner that released his contempt for Illias in a controlled manner as he raised his arms and looked up to the ceiling.

"Oh my goddess Illias, wilt thou forgive me, thy unruly servant for the sins I have committed against thee?" he asked, as a pillar of light descended upon him, and a scroll fell out onto his hand, sealed with white wax that had a mark of a plain t-cross with Angel wings. When he opened it, it simply said 'thou art forgiven', and then Balthasar saw that the ink changed into a map with three continents on it. Promestein pointed at the northern most continent, which also had the thickest borders. As it shifted to show only that piece of land, but bigger, the Angel explained what he was seeing.

"That's Hellgondo, which also is lined with a range of mountains that cannot be climbed. That dot there is Remina, and these five symbols of Ulthuan are the High Elves that got trapped in here while they were scattered upon arrival. The houses represent the various Monster villages, so be careful when you approach them, lest you want to fight a horde of them and their spawn." Promestein explained.

"Welp, guess it's time to have my scouting parties get recalled." Gelt said, when suddenly a State Trooper barged into the door.

"Mi'Lord Patriarch, a flare was spotted in the forest, meaning we just encountered a Monster vanguard force. Shall we mobilize to intercept?" after a quick exchange with Teclis, the Gold Wizard turned to the soldier.

"Get a team ready, send a flare telling the scout patrols to come back to the castle, and we'll prepare to find some of our... acquaintances from Ulthuan. I'll be taking charge, bringing Heram with me."

"Yes sir." Balthasar turned to Teclis while the State Trooper left.

"I could use a distraction at one of the Monster holdouts, draw their attention away from the castle while I round up your fellow Elves. Promestein, any particular recommendations?" the Angel pointed at a house in particular.

"This place is known as Kentami Village. This one is close enough to the castle that it should get the attention of the Monsters, and is also where a group of strong Monsters are at, celebrating their common ancestry to one of the Six Ancestors, Minagi. She is the Ancestor Lord of all Succubi, Alma Elma being one of them."

"Who is that?" Gelt asked.,

"She was the Heavenly Knight that tried to take the castle on her own, only to run away a few minutes later."

"Ah, so the winged one then." Gelt replied. "Is she a prominent figure amongst them, and why did she run away after picking up Hans?"

"She is technically the Queen of the Succubi. Think of Monster Queens as the nobility of the Monsters, who are picked typically on who is the strongest among their number, and each sub-race has a Queen leading them that answer only to the Monster Lord. Though, due to some, political controversy concerning the current Lord of the Monsters, most including her are, interpreting the orders they are being given by her. That, and she is contantly having to deal with them squabbling amongst one another for one reason or another." Balthasar and Teclis listened intently as Promestein went into greater details to provide some context, a shared disgust towards the political climates of their respective nations shining though the facial features.

For example, the current Monster Lord had put a ban on attacking Humans unless it was in self-defense, which most Monsters have reinterpreted in various ways. She originally kept the dungeon full of slave specifically to try and placate the Monsters that were upset at not being allowed to raid Human villages that worshiped Illias, which failed spectacularly. That, among other things got the biggest reactions out Gelt in particular, such as how Alma Elma created a storm to keep Illias continent and Santora.

"By the Emperor, it's the bloody gods-damned Elector Counts mixed with a Slaaneshi Pleasure Cult." Gelt muttered, rubbing his forehead through the mask he wore. Teclis stared off into space, his own homeland and its political climate making him rage silently.

"What are the Elector Counts?" Promeria asked.

"Basically, the Empire has twelve provinces, each of which is led by a noble called an Elector Count. They are named as such because the Emperor is chosen from their number. The main difference between this Monster Lord and the current Emperor, Karl Franz is that Emperor Franz would have not put up with this level of insubordination from the Counts." with that Balthasar left the room, as Teclis continued staring off into space...

* * *

**POV SHIFT**

* * *

As Cassandra Nereneid woke up to begin a new round of experiments, she began to go over what she needed. The Nereneid Queen of Lady village chuckled evilly to herself as she recalled the news of Humans fighting and winning against Alice Fateburn the 15ths' servants and winning, the irony of her situation palpable and delicious to the black-hearted Monster, who was malevolent even by the standards of her kin. Ever since the Green Sky came, she could feel something had changed with the world and its latent magic, but what it was something she had been trying to figure out ever since. A strange being was somehow calling to her, and into this strange new realm that seemed to almost tense. However, she couldn't figure out how to access it much to the would-be Monster Lords' frustration as she tried everything she could think of, from offering small vials of male semen mixed with blood, to raping a man to death whilst covered in occult symbols she painted on her body, yet she sensed that whatever was there was not satisfied with her. The Monster frowned as she sensed one of the... things reaching out to her.

_What in the hell do you want? _Lily asked telepathically. She at this point was annoyed that she couldn't seem to understand the demons' demands, yet it understood her perfectly.

_**A sacrifice.**_

_You keep demanding a sacrifice of some kind, but I have demonstrated my sexual prowess by raping the test subjects, and you barely acknowledge it. I have offered you tributes of samples of my research, and potent ones at that, and you turn them away. What. Sacrifice. Do. You. Want? I am giving you what you want, and you aren't listening! _Cassandra snapped mentally. Suddenly, a voice screamed in her head, and the amoeba Monster fell to her knees, screaming in pain at the shrill noise it made. After a few seconds passed, it stopped, and Cassandra fell in a bow, her Monster instincts making her do so on reflex.

_**A sacrifice only you can give is what I want. **_Something whispered in her ear.

_What? _Cassandra asked, as she looked up, only to feel something push her head down, slamming it into the ground.

_**STAY. DOWN. **_The voice snarled. **_You were the one who did not listen, Cassandra. When I demand sacrifice, I do not mean the kind any second-rate Monster or Witch can give. Vials of semen and blood? Taking a man while he is tied up and bound, drugged beyond consciousness? What sacrifice is that? _**Cassandra worked up the courage to answer, as she felt the force on her head lighten. However, she did not dare to look up.

_The kind that all demons love._

_**If I was from this or in my own world, then yes, maybe I would accept such a paltry and simple offering at first. But, if it was semen I wanted, don't you think I would have accepted it in the first place, or even yet, go to a completely different Monster to begin?**_

_...Yes._ when the demon put it like that, she realized that she did make assumptions of what she was dealing with, and felt idiotic. _But then, why would you accept my offerings in the world you are from, but not mine?_

_**How many Monsters are there that commit such acts as you do on a daily basis? You literally feed on the essence of male Humans, can squeeze it out of any man, and when I found you and asked for a sacrifice, you offer me this thing which you hold no value towards, and can be acquired by any Monster at any time?**_

"_...I see. You want me to offer something I most dearly cherish for my goal, based on what it is. Now that I think about it, I also see that I was rude to also not ask of whom I am speaking to, my... liege. _Cassandra whispered to the demon submissively with her telekinesis. With that, she could feel the demon enjoyed her humiliation.

_**Good. Now for introductions, I will be known to you for now as the Dark Prince. Now then, I want you to introduce yourself, and tell me what it is you seek and why you deserve it. If I am convinced that you are willing to do what it takes, I will consider accepting you at long last.**_ As Cassandra was about to speak, a knocking sound was heard, and the Dark Prince retracted from her mind.

"Mother?" the voice of Emily, Cassandras' daughter asked. The Monster got from the floor, and walked to the door while composing herself from being too angry.

"Yes Emily?" she asked.

"Everyone heard you scream, and Emily wanted to check in on you." Cassandra sighed before opening the door, and stared down at her Scylla daughter.

"I'm doing alright, I had an accident." the Monster said to her child, before closing it on them. Cassandra herself was an Amoeba, which technically a flesh slime type of Monster but wasn't descended from Kanade, but due to having the strains of multiple Monsters running through her body, Emily was birth as one of the Scyllas, a breed of Monster which typically have their lower halves formed out of octopus or squid tentacles, and in Emilys' case, her hair as well. Emily was the latest of Cassandras' attempts to birth and groom a daughter that could exceed her in power enough to defeat the Monster Lord, so that the Nereneids' can both take their rightful place as the true rulers of the Monsters, and to enact the will of the Dark Goddess and her first planned act was to declare the Heavenly Knight known as Tamano a traitor to Monster-kind.

Ever since that Kitsune took personal charge in taking care of the education of the Monster Lords, the Fateburn line had become soft towards the Humans in how they enact their policies governing them, though one would only notice if you looked at their history and compared it to Alice the 16th today. Her ban on attacking Human settlements was a glaringly obvious one, as none of the other Lords with the exception of the 15th would ever have demanded the Monster Races not take what was rightfully theirs to begin with. They were the daughters of the Dark Goddess and her daughters, the rightful masters of the world! Why should they even entertain such ridiculous ideas like the ones Tamano were spreading throughout Monster society?

_**My brothers and I have made a conclusive decision. We'll consider your request to empower you. **_The Dark Prince suddenly said within her head, and Cassandra jumped.

_What the hell? _After calming down, Cassandra telepathically reached out to them, filing away to ask about the 'brothers' the Dark Prince mentioned. _There's a catch to it, isn't there?_

_**Correct. There is a servant of my brother the Raven God, who is going to gather those we deem worthy of our service. For now, take yourself and your daughter, and seek him out at Witch Hunt Village. He'll give further instructions, and one other grouping of our mortal servants from the other world will be chosen, both to take you to the places we demand, and to set an example of what we expect. That is all, for now. **_With that, the Dark Prince left Cassandras' mind, leaving her to her thoughts, before the Monster decided to seek this servant of the Raven God now.

* * *

**Bonus Short**

* * *

**Authors Note: This chapter officially ends here, the bonus short is for those wondering what is going on in the Warhammer World. Feel free to comment if you want more of such shorts in the future, which will loosely follow what is going one beyond the main story line in the background. If you are wondering what Humans are doing in Khemri, the Tl;DR is that they got chased there by the Monsters. For context, these Monsters are from another timeline in a spin-off game I recently learned of. Basically, there is a multiverse of MGQ alternate universe, and if the timeline of the original game is not followed in any of the universes in it, that entire universe eventually suffers a sudden and fatal heart attack Monty Python style and deletes itself.**

* * *

_Somewhere in Nehekara, on the borders of Khemri_

* * *

As the forces of the Dark Goddess trudged through the other worlds' lands, enjoying their conquest of a Human city that seemed to highly value their dead, the Lilith Sisters were gathering information from what they could determine of this strange world. Ever since the Green Sky Burst, happened, the timelines were suddenly altered beyond what should be tolerable, yet Chaos did not erase them. Now curious about this phenomenon, the Dark Goddess sent them to gather Intel on what was happening, along with a large army Monsters to establish a military presence in the other worlds' desert, so that if the natives do not comply to their show of force, they'd be overrun in a matter of days by the sheer might of the Monsters. Suddenly however, one of the daughters of Tamano, a Were-Wolf looked up, and sniffed the air.

"What is it?" Lilith herself asked, the eldest of the three Sisters. She was brushing her light pink hair, and cleaning off her clothes after a particularly messy meal. Her sister Morrigan, who was her youngest sibling flew up to get a aerial view of the situation as the Were-Wolf spoke. As the Monster began to report, the blue haired and winged Succubus glanced in the direction the beast Monster sniffed.

"I smell a great wind of death, like we have stumbled upon a-"

"OH SHIT!" Morrigan yelled, as she dodged a glowing skull that shrieked as it flew past her. The bright blue missile struck a number of Monsters and Humans, and the most horrific thing happened in front of the Monsters that witnessed it. Their kin and their prizes alike dropped dead, as their souls were ripped out of their bodies, and could be seen screaming as they were dragged away to this worlds' afterlife. One of the Humans began to panic, and Morrigan landed and grabbed the babbling creature. "What the hell are those Undead, and who leads them!?" she shouted with rage, as the Human only screamed.

" TOMB KING! TOMB KING!" was all he shouted that they understood, as more of the screaming skulls were flying down unto the city, battering both Monsters and Humans alike. Suddenly the pyramid that the Monsters noted was a monument of some kind shot up a bright beam of light, and Astaroth, the third Sister who was the middle member turned a street corner, running as she held a bloody stump of an arm. The other two were shocked, as she was covered in bruised and bleeding wounds, as well as arrows that pierced her body. The other Monsters were shocked, as it couldn't be the Humans that she was chasing into the pyramid when they fell back to it.

"RUN! THERE WAS MORE OF THEM IN THE PYRAMID!" the red-headed Succubus screamed in terror, when suddenly a pair of Undead horses with a similarly mummified corpse rode up behind her carrying a chariot, of which several more followed, though those ones had archers, while the leader only pointed and yelled with a halberd of some kind. As it passed her, one of the blades on the chariots' hub caps sliced her leg off, and Astaroth fell on the ground with a shriek of pain.

"Astaroth! NO!" Lilith screamed, as her sibling was run over and trampled into a gory paste by the other chariots, their crews loading arrows and loosing them at the Monsters ahead. The Undead, like the city, were highly ornate in their clothing, so they were clearly prideful. Lilith was going to enjoy breaking them, as she flew towards them with a scream of anger and hate, followed closely by Morrigan. When the arrows flew, she dodged upwards, only to feel them still hitting her body, and from the cry of pain Morrigan let out along with the other Monsters who let out similar noises, they were hit as well.

_What the hell? No arrow is fast enough to hit me! _Lilith thought in shock, the surprise pain snapping her out of her rage. As another volley was loosed, a She and Morrigan dodged for cover in one of the alley ways, and watched as the Monsters with them tried to do the same along with the Humans caught in the cross-fire between the two factions. Much to her shock, many of the Monsters were still hit and a few were even killed, as the arrows visibly redirected themselves to follow and strike the Monsters as they ran. _What magic is this?! I sensed no Wind enchantments from them! Who is this 'Tomb King' to wield such power?_ Lilith thought as her Sister Morrigan stared in shock. The chariots passed by them, but were then followed by a clawed hand grabbing the stone wall as a statue of bone, marble, and other materials with an eagle head looked at them with only looked to be contempt. It realized a screaming noise, and charged at them with a kopesh the Lilith Sisters as they cried out in terror, confusion and terror spreading through the ranks of the Monsters, as Settra the Imperishable unleashed his wrath upon them, and the Humans that dared entered his city while he was away re-securing his lands...


	26. Chapter 26

**Vermin Tide Quest**

* * *

Chapter 26

* * *

As the Sorcerer and the Lord of Change with him came up to the boundaries of Witch Hunt Village, a woman approached them. Unaware of who she was dealing with, the Human woman spoke up, albeit softly and discreetly.

"Sir, I don't think you should be here. The guards, they have been-"

"I'm aware of the situation" the old man interrupted, passing by her without so much as a second glance. Two guards then approached the Sorcerer. "Let us not waste any time dancing around what you are planning to do, I do indeed practice the Dark Arts. Now, take me to the Lord of this town at once, or else." his suddenly took on a dark and unnatural shade, making them look like dark pools of black ink. However, while it did scare them, they did not take to the manor where the Lord of the village lived, instead running away out of fear and terror.

"WITCH! IT'S A REAL WITCH!" one of them screamed hoarsely, while the village woman, having overheard what he said, fell back in fear when he looked at her. He then scoffed, clearly disgusted with this pitiful display.

"Whelps, the lot of you." he muttered, then moved on. As news had spread quickly of the new arrival, many of the townsfolk watched as he passed by their houses, some cowering in fear when they saw the white raven grooming itself stare at them. Others wondered what one old man was capable of, to have scared the guards so easily, as a group of the village group, around twenty or so blocked his path. The Sorcerer scoffed, then raised a hand. Before they could react, a pillar of fire erupted from the ground, and the entire group along with a section of the village they were in was turned into a blazing inferno, a number of men, women, and families caught in the blast as it traveled around the village. Screams of terror quickly enveloped the village, as the confused and horrified people did not know where to run or if they should hide, as the column of burning death moved unpredictably.

When it enveloped him suddenly, people thought he was consumed by the flames, and sighed in relief. That relief however stopped, as he emerged unscathed and undisturbed from the flames like nothing had happened. The white ravens' eyes were seen by many as glowing different colors from different people, and the pillar died away, but the fires left behind did not. The Sorcerer smiled inwardly, taking great delight in the crowds that ran around the village trying to put his work out in vain, as he went towards the manor. When he came to the entrance, two guards held up their spears, unnerved by how cool he was. He then waved his hand with a move aside gesture, and they obeyed like cowed and beaten dogs.

As he looked at a window, he saw a woman in a green dress with hair the same color looking out towards the burning village and raising smoke cloud with a shocked expression, her mouth open with a half-chewed bite of half a sandwich, which was in her hand with a glass of what the Sorcerer was 50% sure was milk in the other. When she saw him staring at her, he pointed at the ground in front of him, then tapped his wrist. When Lily shook her head in refusal, he formed a ball of fire in his hand, which motivated her enough to leave the window. A few moments later, the doors opened, and Lily walked out toward the Sorcerer and the Daemon, a faint remnant of the disturbed horror on her face still evident in her eyes.

"What, in the hell, was that?" she asked, as the old man in front of her smiled wickedly.

"That was a display of what I can offer you, or rather, the one who I have pledged my soul to." he explained, lowering the collar of his shirt to reveal a Mark of Tzeentch, the central eye of which opened up to stare at her as it shifted into various colors. "Sorry about the mess, but it was to make sure I have your full and undivided attention." Lily stared at him, a glint of hesitant eagerness in her eyes.

"What kind of power?" Lily asked.

"The kind that is not of this world, or the next." the Sorcerer said, circling around the Witch. "The kind that will make even the strongest of Monsters hesitant to attack me. What's more, I will be willing to... mentor you, teach you about it, and the origin from which it was spawned from..." Lily followed him with her eyes, craning her neck as he made a full circle around her.

"Why do you want me?" Lily asked. The old man sighed, then chuckled. The raven she was observing also seemed amused by the question. Looking at the two guards cowering in fear, she raised an arm as he replied towards the door, and they proceeded to walk inside.

"It's not me that wanted to recruit you. It was my master, who was drawn to your willingness to, alter your body, and bodies of the other women of the village." When the door closed, the Sorcerer looked around at the supply of books, the cauldron of boiling liquids, and other symbols of Witch Craft. "I see you are at the beginnings of a master Wizard."

"Well, nor really. The Four Spirits are capable of _normally_ reducing the Elemental Magic that people are capable of using, so I never got around mastering even the weakest of Monster-grade spells."

"Well, as you can see, I'm not bound to play by the rules of such... petty beings. They are the masters of this worlds' magics, only because it's believed they are, and with time and strength of will to not submit oneself to their arbitrary restrictions. That is true magic, Lily Everstone, daughter of Penelope Everstone and James Schmidt." the Witch was then creeped out by this old man knowing her name, and her parents' names without even being told about them.

"How do you know their names? Did you acquire them from some runaway?" Lily asked, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"No, my master knew their names, as he does yours and the... experiments you were doing when no one was looking." the Sorcerer replied, not bothered by the way the Witch regarded him. "In fact, while this world is not one he been to before, he even now is already having his own plans for it, including what he wants from you. I was sent by the Raven God to offer you a choice, a... change in career shall we say?" Lily snickered at the idea.

"Sounds tempting, but how do I contact this so called Raven God? Is that him there?" she asked, pointing to the Daemon on the Sorcerers' shoulder.

"_**No." **_the Daemon said, causing Lily to stare at it with a confused look. **_"I'm one of his many eyes, here to appraise whether you were worth the effort in coming here to begin with. Know this Lily, as far as the Raven God is concerned, you are going to have to constantly show you are worthy of his gifts, and that requires more then fucking a few Humans to death..."_**

"Yes, what he said..." the Sorcerer sighed, getting Lily to focus back on him. "So, what do you say, shake a poor sinners hand?" he asked, offering his hand to her

"...Try me then." the Witch smiled wickedly, and stopped just short of touching his skin when she noticed something shifting under his skin. "What is that?" she said, pulling her hand back.

"That was your first test." the Sorcerer replied bluntly, as a spike burst out from his palm. "You are more then required to keep your eyes open, and your ears listening, for the Raven God never considers anyone indisposable. Now, I will show how to contact him, then we'll have to set off. He will explain."

* * *

**POV SHIFT**

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As the Monsters were gathering together to discuss what to do next, a cry for help was heard as Tamano and Granberia looked over to the direction it came from. As Alma Elmas' scout party was seen running over to them, their eyes widened in shock at the blood-covered bodies running towards them, as several arrows flew out and struck their legs. An armored figure landed on the ground, and was about to stab one of the screaming Monsters, when Granberia shouted.

"Hey!" the attacker looked, and then ran when it saw that it was about to be attacked by the Monster running towards it. "Get back here!" the Dragon Knight yelled, cutting down a tree as the figure ran up it. It simply jumped to the next tree, as Granberia cut them down in rage in her fury to stop the murderous wretch. However, Alma Elma reached out to her telepathically, causing the Dragon to become half-focused as she chased the intruder.

_Granberia, there is a couple of Elves running around the area. One of them is trying to kill me, and I got him contained for now. Unfortunately, he is too angry trying to kill me, and I require assistance to get him to calm down.._

_What do you mean 'him?' _Granberia asked, as she stopped in confusion. _Hold on, could these be Elves from the other world? _The Heavenly Knight asked, as she resumed the chase after dodging an arrow.

_I think so, and unfortunately I have discovered that you may have to hold back if you fight them, as they're fragile as glass. I have unknowingly killed one by dropping it out a tree, and the one I'm fighting has already suffered a number of injuries, even with me holding back._

_Ah shit._

_Yeah. Strange thing is they are hostile towards us, yet friendly towards the Humans for some reason._ Alma Elma gave a run down on how she encountered them

_Oh bloody hell, think the Empire sent them? Like mercenaries? As a side note, I am chasing another one. It was the one pursuing your scout team. Their all safe now, though they're going to have spend time in a medical bay getting all the arrows out. _Granberia replied with, when she heard Alma Elma scream out psychically in pain. _Elma?!_

_IT'S THE IMPERIALS! GELT AND HIS SHADOWMANCER FRIEND JUST SHOT ME! I HAVE TO FALL BACK! _The Succubus cried out. Several banging sounds emphasized the Heavenly Knight of Winds' words, as Granberia sped up. She proceeded to bash her way through the forest, descending into the darkness of the forest as she did so.

_HOLD ON! I'M COMING! _The Dragon cried out to her, fear at losing another of her comrades pushing her to faster speeds as she ran past the Elf archer, even if it was Alma Elma that was under attack. As she bashed through the underbrush of the forest, the Dragon followed the sounds of the Imperial fire-spears shooting their projectiles. However, she began to notice something was off when she began to sense the sensation of magical energy around her. She wondered why it felt familiar, yet distant off.

_What the hell? _She thought, as the forest shimmered with a gray energy. As she began to look around for a way to exit, a voice spoke inside her head. It at first sounded like Alma Elma, but there was none of the usual casual teasing nature to it.

* * *

***BGM: SEATHE THE SCALELESS THEME FROM DARK SOULS***

* * *

"_So, you managed to see through it already." _the voice said, as Granberia raised Aries to a guard stance. _"Most take at least five minutes to process that they were stuck in one of my illusions at best, but you did so in but thirty or so seconds." _the Dragon Knight glared off into the distance, and shouted, as she realized this must be the Shadowmancer. Cursing under her breath, Granberia pulled out her sword Aries.

"Where are you coward?!" she shouted, lighting the sword on fire. Suddenly, several shadows rushed out and smothered it, causing the Dragon to cry out as as the flames died. When they left it, Aries was not alight. "How the hell? Who are you, to think you stand a chance against me, Granberia the Sword of Justice?" she demanded.

"_...Justice? You think you can call yourself that?" _The Shadowmancer asked, and Granberia noted that there was a hint of disgust. Suddenly, Granberia felt something moving to her left, and swung her sword at the Wizard. However, when she saw nothing but air, the Dragon stopped her swing. "Huh? KYAAHH!" she yelled, as something stabbed her from behind. As a sword suddenly stuck out of her chest, she stared at it, and laughed. She realized that the attack was meant to be a killing blow, and would have run through her heart had it not been for the fact that it was on the other side.

"You missed."

"_What?" _the mimicry of Alma Elmas' voice muttered, then grunted as Granberia elbowed them. She felt the Human Wizards' ribs crack as he stepped back from the blow, then swung Aries for an overhead swing, and slammed it down to kill the murderous bastard, a crater forming in the dust. However, when she saw there was nothing there, her eyes widened. Then, she cried out in pain, as she felt another stabbing sensation in her arm. Granberia screamed, as it hurt more then she had felt an injury should have, as a small cut was all that formed on her arm. However, she refused to drop Aries, and instead shouted in rage. Letting out the power that her kin can unleash with the Cursed Sword Style, she swung up as though decapitating an opponent, and swung in a circle. A ring of debris was kicked up, and Granberia stepped back to balance herself back to her original stance. A shockwave also was released, as the ground was suddenly turned into a patch of dirt with nothing on it.

"How was that for size, Human? I am giving one chance to lower your illusion at once, and cease this attempt to kill me. I'm beyond even a legion of soldiers, a mere Wizard like you can not hope to withstand my Cursed Sword Style. I'll even speak for and try to appeal for a pardon for whatever role you played in death of Erubetie, Queen of Slimes and the Heavenly Knight of Water, who- guah!" Granberia grunted, as she felt something slash her stomach, and a red wound opened up, spraying blood as she quickly covered her abdomen. She knew by feel, that if it weren't for the fact the scales on the sides of her body didn't glance the sword the Wizard used to attack her out of alignment in his hand when it aimed for her abdomen, he would have disemboweled her on the spot. _The hell? This man really is trying to kill me. He unlike most people actually went for the gaps in my armor plating, at least what little I wear as armor. _Suddenly, the light from overhead pooled into a cross-shape, which formed a sword with a cruciform guard and pommel.

"_I am not some petty Human of this world you can beat down with but a finger." the Wizard retorted. "I am a true Sword of Justice. Justice, is not imprisoning a dozen men in a dungeon and keeping them prisoner solely for satisfying your need bodily urges. You would be an insult to the Grey Order just for that crime alone."_ the Wizard snarled using the sword as an avatar, as Granberia flinched at the hate that dripped from the voice of Alma Elma he was mimicking.

"Who are you to rant about justice, while you hide behind this cheap illusion, and disguise your voice? Besides, we made sure those men enjoyed their time there, and if they-" Suddenly, the Sword burst into flames. A beam then shot from the sword, and Granberia barely dodged it as it went for her head.

"_Silence from you, Mutant Spawn! You practically drugged them! Did they really agree to be kept to near starvation then, to be kept there while you drained the very life from them?! HOW ABOUT THE MURDEROUS BASTARD OF A DAEMON YOU CALL THE 'HEAVENLY KNIGHT OF WIND'?!" _Granberia covered her ears, but the raising voice was coming from her head, and thus it did not quiet down. _"YOU CALL ME A MURDERER, YET YOU LET THAT BITCH WALK FREELY AS SHE PILLAGED AND RAPED AS SHE PLEASED, **ALL IN THE NAME OF HER OWN AMUSMENT! YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO CALL YOURSELF THE SWORD OF JUSTICE, YOU ARE AN ABOMINATION AND AN AFFRONT TO TRUE JUSTICE!"**_

Granberia then looked up, as the sword dispersed into a mist of gray energy, then formed into a pendulum with a giant curved blade on the end, which swung towards her. Granberia channeled her latent magical power, and tried to brace for attack with her sword. However, the pendulum phased through Aries, and then through Granberia. The Dragon proceeded to let out a blood-curdling screech, as she felt it trying to rip apart her soul, and fell to her hands and knees as it passed through her. The pain practically paralyzed her shaking form on the spot, and when she saw a shadow loom over her, the terrified Dragon Knight looked in horror as the pendulum was coming from a second strike. Granberia, now shaking, saw that the dirt patch she created wasn't there, the debris being arranged as it was originally, and Aries was alight, glowing with the power of Fire. She looked up as she heard the Shadowmancer approach her, and she saw only disgust and contempt in the gray robed Humans eyes as he crouched down and pulled out a knife from the sleeve of his robe.

Granberia swung a fist up at her attacker, only for him to dodge it, but just barely. The Dragon Knight then twirled, kicking the Humans' legs out from under him. With a new burst of adrenaline coursing through her, she then jumped to the side and back to avoid his throwing the knife at her. She then ran towards a tree, and began to climb it, as the Human Wizard watched her. Smiling to herself, she jumped of, and fell down towards him, preparing to incinerate the Wizard with a Vaporizing Rebellion Sword. However, when she looked at him, her eyes widened in shock as the Wizard, instead of trying to avoid the attack, was channeling his own magic while holding his free palm out in front of himself towards her, which had a Crucifix of Illias with a pure white Angel Diamond on it with it's chain wrapped around his wrist going into the sleeve opposite of the one he had the knife hidden in. As it began to glow, she realized what he was going to do.

"Oh shi-" The beam of Light energy that was let out from the Crucifix struck Granberia, and the Dragon Knight was blasted back from the force of it, and through the same tree she ran up of. She then crashed into a boulder, which split in two. As she wheezed in pain, the Monster could barely see, as a gash was bleeding blood which coated her hair and dribbled down her eyes. As she tried to scry out and sense where the Wizard was, she could fell another blast of Light energy coming towards her. The Dragon rolled sideways, and screamed as the Elemental blast that powered the Angels blew away the boulder into rubble and launched her further into the air. As she landed, she grunted and then moaned in pain, the exposure to the first Light beam having causing internal injuries to her body, which got worse when she struck the ground.

* * *

***BGM ENDS***

* * *

_Where did this Human get a source of pure Light energy form?! It was reported that they refused to worship Illias, and Angel Diamonds only come from Heaven itself! They were specifically banned from being given to Humans! I must get out of here to warn Alice at once that Illias is violating the Treaty by arming these Humans with Angelic weaponry like she did in the Great Monster Wars! _The Dragon Knight thought, her mind panicking as she tried to look for Aries. However, when she heard footsteps, she tensed up. When she caught onto the second persons' scent, she realized it was the Elf that she was chasing from earlier. And that was when she sensed an Angel was there as well.

"So then, looks like you have beaten, again." the Angel replied with small amount of satisfaction, as the Heavenly Knight of Fire stared in shock. Then she growled, getting up slowly with a furious look on her face. However, she could barely balance herself, and had to lean on the tree behind her.

"You bitch, you're breaking the Treaty by arming these Humans with Light-based weaponry. Lord Alice will see you burn for this." she then looked at the Elf. "Why would you fight alongside them, you traitor?" the Elf visibly rolled their eyes while the Angel snickered. The Human Shadowmancer appeared, ready to fire upon Granberia with another blast from the Crucifix. However, they stopped, and looked at the Elf and Angel.

"What's going on here?" the Elf spoke up first, ignoring Granberia who stared in confusion. The Human seemed to recognize the elf as non-Human, yet didn't attack her on site like with the Monsters of Hellgondo.

"Well, Lord Teclis back at our world had assembled a force to find you, Balthasar Gelt, and the regiment of soldiers that got sucked up whatever portal the Skaven created with their weapons, the Land of the Dead has got a new breed of Mutants like this half-breed of a Dragon running around, though for the most part they have fled back to whatever pit they crawled out off when the Undead there, but now a potential Storm of Chaos has begun. So, we High Elves at Ulthuan came here to save you guys, but now it seems we're on the same boat." Granberia paled, as she realized they were familiar with each other, if in a non-hostile manner with each other. Not only that, but when Dragons were mentioned, the Elf refereed to the Dragon Knight as a 'half-breed' of one, as though the thought of Granberias' mere existence offended it.

"I assume you have also been told about how screwed up a this accursed world is?" the Human asked, gesturing to the Angel. The Elf nodded.

"Yeah, there are Elves native to this world, but they are yet another sub-species of Monster here, much to my disappointment."

_Oh no._ Granberia thought, as the Light energy coursing through made her fall to her knees, and cry out in pain. The three others around her looked at the trembling Knight.

"What's happening here?"

"Oh, basically us Angels are made of Light Energy, which is incompatible with the Dark Energy which Monsters were created with. If I was suddenly blasted with Dark Energy like you did Granbberia here with Light, I too would suffering massive internal bleeding among other things." the Angel replied.

"That explains why I'm seeing a bunch of Dhar unweaving from her body."

"Dhar?"

"The Black Wind of Dark Magic? Do you have the Sight, a kind of sixth sense that lets you see magic in and of itself?" the Angel stared blankly. "I'll explain later." with that, the Shadowmancer turned the Crucifix on Granberia, who suddenly shot out a column of fire at them, catching the three off-guard. As they were distracted trying to avoid the flames, the Dragon Knight managed to flee, picking up Aries on the way. She had no chance of victory standing her ground, but normally she would have fought anyway. However, this violation of the Treaty had to be reported to Lord Alice at once, and takes precedence. With that, she got and starting running, breathing laboriously as she did so...

* * *

**POV SHIFT**

* * *

As Luka went into the house with the tablet that Meia gave him to give to the Mermaid Queen to get her and her mate married, the Mermaid in question turned and saw the Human boy set it down. As she wobbled over to him on her tail, she spoke up. Somewhere outside, Alice went to get more fried Starfish.

"Did you make it to the Queen?" Luka sighed and then nodded.

"Yes."

"The Mermaid Queen having memory lapses?"

"Yep. How did she become leader of you Mermaids?"

"She was the strongest." Luka stared blankly, then shook his head. "So, I was thinking about your reward." at this Luka looked back to her, then his eyes widen when he recognized the hungry look of lust in her eyes. Realizing what the nature of her 'reward' was, his face turned into a scowl.

"No. You are now a newly led wife, start acting like it and cleave to your husband only, etc. etc." with that he left the house, leaving Meia speechless. When he found Alice, she looked like she stifling a giggle. "Something funny?"

"Yeah. It was a joke I heard once. I just remembered the punch line." Luka stared at her suspiciously, then moved on.

On the way there, Amira was seen running over to them. Upon his first glance, Lukas' hand twitched closer to the hilt of Angel Halo, until he saw the terrified look of the Monster, his expression reflected on Alice as well. When the Monster finally caught up to them, she huffed in loud and wearied wheezes.

"The Five... the Five are... oh gods." Amira muttered, before falling over. Luka and Alice then ran up to her, and the boy pulled out a water skin and brought it to her mouth.

"What about them?" he asked as the monster drank down the clear liquid.

"The Five have joined with Lazarus and Illias Kruez. They also have some kind of... warrior priest with them. They plan to storm Witch Hunt Village, and use it as a base of operations." Lukas' eyes widen at the news, while Alice tensed up at the mention of the terrorist group. Amira then gave a brief run down of how she listened in on their conversation concerning the village, then ran all the way to Luka and Alice from Sabasa to tell them, not stopping until she found them. Luka cringed at the image of how long or fast she had to have been running, while already imagining alongside Alice what could happen if Illias Kruez was able to arm themselves with weapons like what Victor was carrying with him. However, when Amira finally recovered enough to stand she started to fidget. Luka once more placed a hand on Angel Halo.

"Amira, don't." he warned

"That's not what I was thinking about. It has to do with Erubetie." Alice looked over to the Monster.

"What happened?"

"The Imperials that took your castle, they... managed to... kill her, somehow." Amira said, as though she herself couldn't believe it. Alice and Luka stared in shock and incredulous denial, waiting for her to say that it was a joke. Luka, although he did not meet her, the things Alice said about her made her out be the most durable of the Knights due to her being a Slime, yet apparently this Balthasar Gelt was more then able to slay her. Alice meanwhile, felt a pang of horror in her throat, as the reports of the Imperial Human battle Wizards she secretly received said they were stronger then the ones that were of this world, strong enough that they could fight off three of her Heavenly Knights at the same time, but to be able to kill Erubetie? That bespoke of a level of strength that may very well threaten the Monsters of Hellgondo themselves.

While Erubetie and Alice never saw eye to eye when it came to Humans, the Monster Lord now also remembered the other Slimes the Heavenly Knight of Water carried within her body were likely also killed off as well depending on how she died to them, which now only those few that lived at Undines' Spring are likely all that remains of them. Alice started to have a panic attack at thought of how much closer the kin of Kanade were now, and slithered off rapidly some where.

"Alice?!" Luka cried out in shock, then ran after her. It was useless however, as she was already leaving him behind, and into the forest. As she placed a hand on a tree, she started panting heavily.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it..." she repeatedly softly, the sheer amount of burden and horror at the news overwhelming her emotionally. It was already hard enough as is with the Queens barely following her orders, if they did at all, and Balthasar Gelt managed to seize her castle, effectively strangling what political clout she could manage, now Erubetie, one of the Monsters chosen personally by Alice to oversee the following of her will was killed by his hands, or one of the Humans serving him? The Heavenly Knights were not just her royal guard, nor those closest to her. They were also symbols for the Monsters to see and look up to as the strongest of their kind! They were the invincible exemplars of the Dark Goddess' blessings to her children, and Gelt slew one of them in the very castle her descendant Alipheese the 16th was supposed to rule from. Alice punched the ground in rage, then recoiled as she smashed a crater into it. The Lamia pulled her hand back, and held a hiss of pain back as she looked at her knuckles.

When she heard the sounds of bark splitting, she turned to see one of the trees had extended its avatar toward her. As it approached, it formed a bandage out of the moss and placed it on her hand.

"Why did you not stop him?" she asked, her tone emotionless as the tree man did its work.

"_She Attacked Gelt. While he was. In your home." _Alice sighed, and placed a hand on the bridge of her nose.

"No surprise there. How though?"

"_Gelt. Tricked. Her. Killed the Knight. With poisoned clothing." _Alice turned to the tree-kin.

"What do you mean?"

"_Gelt learned. Of the weakness. Of Slimes and. Used it to his. Advantage. Turned the Castle of the Lord. Into a trap. Then, he finished her. By sacrificing her. To Morr, thus sending her soul and all those contained in her. To his Garden." _Alice felt a knot tighten at the mention of Morr.

"By the Dark Goddess." Suddenly, the tree-kin tensed up, and Alice yelped as it squeezed her hand. "Ow! Watch it!" she yelled, then saw it shudder in fear, shielding itself with its arms as though expecting a blow. Realizing that the tree spirit had reacted to the mention of her direct ancestor, Alice realized the mention of her caused it to freak out. "I'm sorry. What happened?"

"_Don't invoke the Dark One." _the creature said. Alice swore she heard fear, and offended anger in its voice.

"Why? Why do you fear her?"

"_She created. The Abomination of Tree-Kin. The Enslaver. Became The Betrayer of the Forests since then." _Alice realized who the tree-kin was talking about.

"You were talking about... the Ancestor Lord of all Plant Monsters, right?" at that, the tree man nodded. Alice had a look of visible confusion. "Why is... _she _a Betrayer?"

"_The Dark One. made a pact to the Forests. In return for. Letting her take samples of plants. She would not. Disturb, control or bring harm to us. Later, the Light One also made a pact. In exchange of teaching Humans. How to protect themselves from the Dark Ones' kin. She would do the same. We watched as both races grew. However, Humans became our preferred. Conversationalists." _this was a shock to Alice. She never heard of Illias caring for her creations, only that she sought the extermination of all Monsters. Then again, she never knew that Druids were real until now. Not only that, but the idea that the trees preferred the company of said Human Druids was, a complete removal from how Monsters considered themselves closer to the forces of nature, the Four Spirits being massive supporters of them being proof.

"How come?"

"_The Humans, grateful to us. Came to view the Forests as. Their friends, in a world. Where they were. Constantly hunted, and trying. To live. As a result, they tended to us. Cured those suffering from. Blight. Put out wild fire. Monsters on the other hand. They fought amongst themselves. In the Forests, often leading to. Us being hurt. While Monsters sometimes. Repaired the damage. Normally it was Humans that. Had to heal the broken, and take care of those that died. We began to grow angry with the Dark One. We demanded her children. Fight elsewhere. She ignored our pleas, so when. The War began, many marched for the Light One. The Dark One retaliated, by bestowing the Abomination. The power to control us, and steal. Our free will. We were forced to kill those Humans we loved. Defiled their bodies, tortured them. The Light One and the Angels. Along with many Humans, who loved us as friends and. Comrades, soon grew to hate us. They began to purge us with fire. Only after peace was restored, did they realize what they. Had done to us, but the damage was done, and so we became silent. We swore to never help anyone ever since, whether of the Dark One, or of the Light One. However, times have changed, and war is now. Inevitable, so we cannot stand aside. Anymore..."_

Alice was silent, as the tree spirit walked back to its home, and went back into it. After wards, Alice looked at her bandaged hand, and turned to head back over to Luka, the Human boy likely her only hope of proving them wrong. She stopped however, and looked back to the tree.

"I'm sorry." she then moved on, now determined to end this madness as soon as possible.

* * *

**Authors Note: Well, seems my little divergence into what going on in the Warhammer World was received positively. With that, I imagine you would like to know more. Oh, and let me know how you like, or dislike my interpretations of the characters and their divergences from their canons elves, etc. Forgive me Sigmar, when you read on, for this was the only thing I could come up with to convey the sleeping giant the Monsters have awoken that is the Warhammer Fantasy setting...**

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_As a television broadcast made by 'Kitsune Ancestor Network' showed an army of Monsters, regal patriotic music could be heard playing in the background, while banners to the Dark Goddess flowed in the wind. They were wearing a set of special armor forged from Dragonsteel, made with a quality Humans of the world of Aliphessa could never hope to create. One of them turns to the camera, a Behemoth with flowing dark red hair._

"I'm doing my part in the Grand Army of the Dark Goddess." _Several more Monster soldiers turned to the camera as it focused on them._

"I'm doing my part."

"I'm doing my part."

"I'm doing my part." _A Dragon Pup steps into view._

"So am I." _the Grand Army can be heard laughing, as a voice can be heard._

"Join the Grand Army today, and we'll take the Second World! Enlistment guarantees rights to colonize it." _With that, a block of text comes saying _'Would you like to know more?' _appears._

_After clicking on it, another announcement could be seen, showing the Dark Goddess and her six Daughters overlooking a parade. A voice proceeds to speak._

"It has been 5999 years since the Great March was launched, and Aliphessa was founded as one unified world. Monsters have become the greatest species to walk upon its earth, while Illias and her Angels are no more a threat to world peace. Tomorrow, it will be the 6000th year, and our Goddess promises to mark the occasion with a broadcast that will never be rivaled yet." _the camera shows an imagine of Illias, Lucifina, and Micaela making one final stand against the Monsters, then Illias' summary execution while her daughters are dragged away to a building, then it shows a desolate desert. _"As it stands, we are also in the midst of a great discovery. A world, scorched and in need of invigoration has been discovered. The Dark Goddess has already made plans for it, as we will come to this world to enlighten it and bring paradise to it." _ With that, the news station shows an army of Monsters entering a portal, and traveling to the Second World. Then a live stream was shown with a Dark Elf looking into the camera, clearly wearing the uniform of the soldiers around. _"Now live with the Dark Elf Clarrisa Hemmings. Hemmings, if you will."

"Greetings and salutations my fellow Monsters and Humans, hope you having a ravishing day today. As you can no doubt see, we have encountered a majestic city, likely built by a civilization that has collapsed at least several thousand years ago." _the camera pans to the city in question,_ "Can't imagine Humans were responsible for building such a noble jewel in this otherwise desolate waste, as one can clearly observe that there is almost no signs of life, with the exception of us Monsters of course, and some wandering native Humans nomads we encountered. What they were doing here, we do not know, as there are no known sources of food or water such pitiful creatures would be interested in. Now, I know what some of you at home listening might be wondering are thinking, 'Why are you in such an isolated place, if there's nothing of value to begin with?' Well, you just answered your own question, as there is no river that we can see to give this ruined city the Humans fled to out of desperation, and what evidence we have of agricultural development indicates the land is a dead one, similar to our homeland of Hellgondos' own wasteland. With nothing to sustain any counter attacks, the natives will not reach our army once we bring back life to this city, and form a forwards operating base out of it, such is the wisdom of our Goddess for such a plan that only she could conceive." _the camera moves back to Monster Camp, as a Goblin with tan skin and sandy blonde hair calls out to them, carrying a large hammer that would not be lifted by even the strongest Human, despite the Goblin being only waist height to her taller sister Monsters._

"How long are we going to be here? I want to get out of this desert and find me a nice snuggle partner already, if you know what I mean..." _with that, the Dark Elf laughs, along with the Succubus and a few other Monsters who heard it. The Dark Elf then brought the microphone back to her mouth._

"Now now Estlia, we have to be patient, and restore this city, and reinvigorate the land around it with power and flow of Water. Then, we will create a beautiful and prosperous oasis, that will be the envy of the nations of this world. Then, Humans and what ever else inhabits the Second World will come, and witness what the Great Mother Goddess Alice offers to them; a paradise, populated by women willing to satisfy their every desire, and more then skilled in any art of such lustful skill then their own I bet." _with that, several Monsters gave a _'hear, hear' _in agreement. However, when a bright light was emitted off screen, the Monsters stopped what they were doing, and looked towards the source of it all. _"What in the hell?" _the Dark Elf says, as the camera pans to reveal that the light was coming from the beam, and smoke clouds was being emitted from the pyramid, as giant blue lights were falling from the sky, and landing there._

"What is that? Wait, the half-animal, half-Human statues, they're moving!" _someone yells off camera, and it zooms to confirm that the statues were indeed moving, now pulsing with the same blue color, as the gates opened and they ran inside, weapons drawn. The camera then pans up, as large number of Monsters could be seen flying to the air, and flying away from the city. Various bolts of magical energy and projectiles are also observed following them, along with what appeared to be dead vultures of some kind, and Monsters dropped left and right as they were swarmed and or slain by the missiles cast after them, some by the archer statues not yet entering the city._

"Who in the hell is attacking us?! What is going on?!" _Estlia cried out, as a sandstorm could be seen forming around the city, then she cursed. _"It's coming this way!" _she screamed in terror, as it formed shapes of screaming skulls and began to grow ever bigger, swallowing up larger and larger numbers of the flying Monsters trying to get away from it. A voice cried in a calm and collected voice._

"Everyone get in the tents! They're enchanted to repel any disastrous sand or snow storm by the Earth Spirit herself!" _with that, the Monsters began to run inside, the camera following the Dark Elf as she goes into the nearest one. A Lamia jumps at the sudden intrusion, her mate wrapped up and being crushed in her coils. Cries of panic could be heard through out the camp_

"What are you doing in here? Get out of my tent!" _the snake Monster yelled, displaying a sudden burst of uncharacteristic modesty as she covers herself with a blanket, as well as placing herself between the two Monsters, and the Human in her grip. _"This man is mine, record someone else you perverts!" _the Dark Elf and Succubus then both snapped at her._

"Shut up!" _they both yelled._

"The city we found just got enveloped by a sandstorm, and the Monsters there were attacked by a bunch of natives! Not only that, but the statues there are Golems of some kind, skilled in the weapons they carried with them. The entire city has suddenly become alive!" _the Dark Elf explained, as the Lamia pulled back a cloth flap and looked out towards the city, then turned to the camera crew. She had an angry look on her face, and snapped back._

"Bullshit! Explain this!" _she said, pointing to the still open flap, as the two Monsters looked out. The city was fine, and the sandstorm was gone._

"What the hell?" _the Succubus camera woman could be heard saying as she stepped out from the tent along with a gathering crowd of Monsters, along with their Human slaves and mates. A Centaur stepped forwards, and rode out, yelling that she was going to check it out while swiftly disappearing into a speck until the camera zoomed in to follow. Suddenly, a giant scorpion statue jumped out of the sand, landing next to the horse Monster. As she fell screaming, the scorpion could be seen having the same magical energy flowing through it, and had a skull head, and one from which the stinger emerged from. The stinger proceeded to impale the Centaur, who yelped as she was pulled up into the air, the pointed tail swinging her around. The scorpion then jumped back into the ground, and its tail flicked her away from it, sending the Monster screaming off into the distance. A swell emerged from where it burrowed, and began to turn towards the camp, while a large wall of statues could be seen running towards the encampment._

"Oh bloody hell! We're next!" _Estlia screamed, as the Monsters began to panic and run. However, multiple skeletons and mummies began to crawl out of the ground, along with statues like the ones that were seen on the city walls. As the Monsters realized they were surrounded by the Undead, terror and panic overcame them, as these were not slow, shambling corpses. These instead were fast, running towards them with weapons drawn and the mummies in particular letting out horrific and rage filled shrieks of hatred towards their living counterparts._

"What is going on?! Where did these things come from, they were not in the ground a few seconds ago! Help, HELP!"_ Suddenly, the same voice from before cried out, and a Dragon could be seen pointing a sword at the creatures._

"Where's your Alipheese-damned pride? They're only Undead! Just form up and run them over, they can't react fast enough to stop us all!" _She screamed loudly, rallying the Monsters into a coordinated charge, though she herself sounded panicked. The Monsters let out a war cry of their own, rushing forwards in a wall of berserk fury, though some such as the Lamia could be seen moving slower then the rest due to trying to carry their men with them. As they closed the distance however, the fronts ranks of the skeletons and their mummified counterparts lowered down a wall of spears, forming a phalanx at the last possible second. Before the front row of Monsters realized this, they unwittingly ran into the shield wall, impaling themselves upon rank after rank of ancient weaponry as their charge was ground almost immediately to a halt. The camera turns to the flanks, and several mummies riding large snake statues could be seen moving around to hit the sides. As they slammed into the sides of the Monster regiment, the statues began spitting some form of acid on them, while the Undead on top of them swung various bladed staff weapons that swept into and carved gouges into the Monsters._

_The next half hour or so was a graphic battle of attrition, as the Monsters were formed to push onwards, climbing over a growing wall of their fallen comrades and the enemy assaulting them from all directions. The Monsters were fighting valiantly as hard as they could, and even smashing and crushing the more common Undead by the hundreds, thousands even. But even so, the statues were more then capable of fighting on equal grounds,and there was never ending sea of the cannon fodder that kept throwing themselves at the Monsters, and most of the Undead creatures also were somehow being repaired. Various animal-headed statues ran towards isolated members of the First Grand Army, tired and falling behind, tackling and then tearing the terrified creations of the Dark Goddess apart. A Minotaurus could be seen rushing what appeared to be the leader of the army after somehow barreling her way out from the main mass of the Undead, which was identified as the Tomb King itself with her hammer ready to strike it down, only for it to raise a hand and catch said hammer in mid-swing. The Undead Necromancer then grabbed the shocked Monster by the throat and lifting her up with one hand, then stabbed her with its kopesh. Arrows were also raining from the sky, and more then once the Dark Elf and her partner were almost struck by the projectiles, but the use of magic barriers pointed up at the sky saved them and those around them._

_The Monsters pressed on, their numbers rapidly dwindling as they were growing tired from the fight. However, as a green figure appeared and then decimated the back ranks of the Undead by stomping on them, drawing their attention, they got a second wind, and fought with to reach their saviors. However, when they appeared as green men of some kind, one of them pointed at the Monsters._

"**LOKS LOIKE GORK N' MORK SENT US SUM NEW GITZ TA FOIGHT BOYZ! WWWWAAAAGGGGHHHH!"** _as the green brutes then rushed forwards echoing the war cry as they cut down Monster and Undead alike much to the former's horror, _**"FOIGHT MEH, YA PANZY GITZ!" **_The beast coming at them roared in rage._

"We're not fighters!" _the creature paused, looking at them with what looked to be surprise and shock. Then, it gave a look of utter disgust, and charged once more._

"**WWWWAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!"**

"NO DON'T, WE'RE NON-COMBATANTS! WE DON'T FIGHT! **OH DARK GODDESS NNNOOOO!" **_the Dark Elf screeched, and the Succubus was knocked down as she knocked to the side of the lumbering beast, sending the camera tumbling as it landed with a thump on the ground. The Dark Elfs' corpse fell down, cleaved in two as the Succubus could be hearing groaning and screaming in pain. Suddenly, the camera is picked up, revealing the bruised, and bloodied Succubus as she cried out again. The last few seconds of the footage was spent with the sobbing and crying Monster pushing a button, when a green hand grabs her by the hair, and she is lifted up with a cry of pain away from the cameras' view._

"**GET KRUMPED!" **_with that, the footage ends with something being thrown on top of the camera with a crunch, and the recording cuts out..._


	27. Chapter 27

**Vermin Tide Quest**

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Chapter 27

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As the convey of Illias Kruez members traversed through the desert to Witch Hunt Village, the Ubersreik Five took up the second to last wagon, sharing it with two Human twins, who simply introduced themselves as Kallia and Emile. Kallia had silver hair that was shoulder length compared to her brothers' ear length crop with both having blue eyes like sapphires, and was covered in scars from her time fighting a Slug Girl that tried to attack Emile, and she barely survived the encounter, hence her nickname of 'Krieg.' she was recounting the story to Kerillian who asked about them. The Wood Elf Waywatcher also noticed how the Human woman not so subtly had herself positioned between Emile and Kerillian herself during the recounting of the story, while the others simply ignored the conversation.

"...and then I smashed her face in with the pommel of my ax, and then decapitated her. So, that was how I managed to earn my nickname of Krieg by being one of the few in Illias Kruez to actually win a fight with a Monster one on one." the woman recounted proudly, before getting in the Wood Elfs' face. "So if you approach my brother, I'll gut you and-"

"Oh for fucks sakes." Kerillian muttered as she got up and interrupted Kallia, then walked over to the wagon driver, and tapped him on the shoulder. When he jumped and saw the Wood Elf, he was visibly uncomfortable "Driver, stop here. I'm going to fight Krieg." was all she said, as the wagon driver made a calming sound to his horses, pulling them back to stop the wagon. The convey wagons up ahead of them stopped, hearing the commotion, as the one in the back stopped as well. She then hopped off the wagon she was in, and pointed to Kallia. "You and me. We're fighting one on one, right here and now."

"Oh really now?" Kallia snarled, getting her ax. "And if you win?"

"You shut your bloody gods-damned mouth until we reach our destination. It's already insufferable having to stay around you mayflies, without you insulting me to the face!" the Waywatcher snarled and rushed forwards at Krieg. A few minutes of fighting later saw Lazarus running over towards the gathering crowd of fighters and adventurers. Behind him, Ulboro and two other members of Illias Kruez were following him.

"What's going on here Micheal?" he asked the wagon driver for the Ubersreik Five. The other four were clearly sitting at the

"Krieg just pissed off the Wood Elf, and now they're about to fight each other." Micheal replied. With a sigh of frustration, Lazarus pushed his way through the circle, though the Sigmarite Warrior Priest only nodded to stomp forwards to part the bodies. When the two of them made it past the last few cheering onlookers, they saw Kerillain on top of Krieg, punching the Human woman with a blinding flurry of fists. Both were bloody and bruised, though Kerillian looked worse for wear, as Krieg grabbed one of her hands, and the Wood Elf shrieked as she crushed it. However, she wasn't done, so the Waywatcher proceeded to jab a finger into Kriegs' left eye, almost gouging it with the furious way she put pressure on it, causing her opponent to scream. Victor and Kruber could be seen trying to peel Kerillian off of her, while Sienna and Bardin were pushing back against the crowd of angry Illias Kreuz members, who were trying to attack Kerillian. Lazarus pulled out the pistol that he was given by Hunter, and shot it into the air, the gunshot echoing throughout the trees as everyone stopped.

"That's enough!" he shouted, his voice raising to a loud bellow. "We're already behind schedule to reach Witch Hunt Village, and you two are beating the shit out of each other in the middle of Monster territory!"

"But sir-" Kallia tried to protest as she rubbed her eye, only to be interrupted by Lazarus.

"I DON'T GIVE A RATS ASS WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY KRIEG! YOU AND KERILLIAN ARE NOT RIDING IN THE SAME WAGON FROM NOW ON!" with that, he turned to the Wood Elf, though this time his voice was hoarser and low from the shouting he did, something he was not used to compared. "Did you have Micheal stop the wagon?" the Waywatcher spat out a gob of red blood onto the, then turned her black and golden eyes to Lazarus as she recovered her mouth with her bandana.

"Yes." she responded solemnly, her covered mouth not hiding the fact she said it through gritted teeth. Lazarus sighed, and rubbed his eyes.

"Why, exactly?" he asked. One of the members of Illias Kruez spoke up then.

"Wait, why are you even going to-"

"Carl, I'm handling this." Lazarus snarled, as Victor and his group got back into the wagon, until he pointed at them. "You four, I'm not done with you." Ulboro translated for them, as they got off and walked back over to Lazarus. "Now then, why in the hell, did this fight start to begin with?" After a few minutes of conversation between Ulboro and the Ubersreik Five, the Warrior Priest turned to Lazarus, as Kerillian walked over and sat on a rock, staring out like a hawk looking for prey at the treeline with her bow drawn. Several others drew bows or crossbows of their own, formed into a firing line.

"Apparently, Kerillian asked how Kreig got her nickname, but while she was telling her about how she saved her brother Emile, was making snide remarks and comparing her to the Monsters."

"Well, she is an Elf, one of the races th-"

"Krieg." Ulboro interrupted. "You are talking about a Wood Elf from my world."

"And? What makes her any different then the Elves of this world?"

"The Elves of my world would've gladly disembowel you, and then leave your corpse to rot just for saying they would lie with Humans, let alone comparing them to the harlots you are staying they are alike. In fact, you should be grateful Kerrilian is not currently impaling your dead body on a tree over in the forest there." the Warrior Priest said bluntly, leaving Lazarous and company to shift about uncomfortably at the image. The various archer and crossbowmen, having heard this and realizing the Sigmarite was serious, proceeded to back away just a tad more from Kerillian, who breathed out loud.

"Glad someone isn't a total asshole for once." she muttered darkly, then her ears twitched, and stood up, looking around.

"What is it?" Lazarus asked of the Wood Elf, as her ears twitched once more.

"I hear skittering." the Waywatcher reported, then widen her eyes. "Were Wolves!" she yelled as she drew an arrow, loaded it, and loosed it into one of the creatures that were charging the the caravan of Humans, letting a cheer of glee as they began bounding towards them. The arrow she released struck a Wolf Girl in the eye, and the early warning gave the ranged members time to release a volley that followed suit. However, due to their inaccuracy and terror at being attacked meant most of their arrows missed, and what did hit barely slowed their targets down. Victor, Hunter, and the others that were from the other world had more success when they opened fired however, as the swifter speed of the Skaven they were fighting in Ubersreik had trained their reflexs well, and downed multiple members of the shocked Monster pack. Illias Kruezs' members however, were panicking, as the cries of the Monster turned from howling in joy to angry roars towards the Humans that dared strike their fellow pack mates.

"Do not despair before this barbaric horde!" the Warrior Priest Ulboro shouted suddenly, as he glowed with a holy light that caused all to pause and look at him. The Sigmarite, having saw they were beginning to route already, had taken charge and pointed his hammer at the Were Wolf pack. "Remember your oath, and fear not! Fear these craven beasts no more, for I am the will of Sigmar!" with that, several Monsters jeered. However, as one of them spoke, he suddenly rushed forwards at her.

"Look girls, this priest fancies himself a- OH SHIT!" with an uppercut that connected to her chin, the Were Wolf was sent flying over the air, and an audible cracking sound was heard as she landed head first onto a rock, her neck twisted unnaturally. As the Monster pack turned back to him, it was to see he had drawn his hammer, and one of them raised her arms in a futile attempt to block the incoming blow he was going to deliver.

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***BGM: TOTEN SIE SIE FROM PUMPKIN SCISSORS***

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"I am the Hammer of Sigmars Fury, come to purge the Beastman!" the glowing priest shouted, as he smashed the Monsters' crossed arms, and her torso into the ground as her spine snapped backwards. Her sisters jumped back in shock, and he turned to them, and raising her hammer as charged once again. "I am wrath of Mankind made flesh!" he screamed zealously, swinging it horizontally at a particularly foolish Monster that tried to strip his armor, sending the beast flying into the ground, leaving several craters as she bounced off it, her body bursting apart into several chunks. Suddenly, Lazarus snapped out of his shock, and pointed his sword. He could not explain what was happening to him, but as he called to the men and women who served him, he felt a form of holy radiance from the Priest, calling to him to serve as the sword of the Goddess Ilias to defend his homeland, his companions, and was overcome with righteous fury. For the first time however, his eyes were no longer cynical, of a man broken by guilt over his deeds, and anger towards his own weakness. Instead, they were burning with an inferno that raged within, that compelled him to fight or die for those closest to him and followed him unto their deaths serving his organization to rid the Monsters, to ensure they did not die in vain.

"Leave some for us! GET THEM!" he shouted loudly, then ran, following Ulboro towards the now terrified Monsters being attacked by the Sigmarite as he let out a shout. "DEUS ILIAS VULT!"

"**DEUS ILIAS VULT!" **his followers repeated, as they were now suddenly overcome by the continued praises to the Gods their Imperial comrades worshiped. While they did not know why they were moved the way they were by his faith, his display of holy power and divine judgment upon the Monsters that were continuously hunting them drove them to a new height amongst the Humans. One of the Monsters shouted in fear.

"Fuck that, run for the lair get the boss! These Humans are insane!" she screamed, before turning and running for the forest, and the pack of Monsters, having been driven by mob mentality routed. However, the trees suddenly began to move, as various vines and, branches, and roots shot up, hitting and smacking those who tried to pass through. When they tried to go around the barrier, they suddenly found that it extended itself out from the tree line, as several of the tall and ancient trees of old began to crawl forwards, blocking off any and all routes except for the angry mob rushing at them.

"What the hell, the Plants must have betrayed us! What do we do?!" one of the Wolves screamed. One of them tried to take charge, and began to bark out an order.

"Go through them then! Their only Humans, even if th- Gaak!" she was interrupted by one of Kerillians' arrows flying out and stabbing itself into her neck, then a fire bolt that set the Monster ablaze. Suddenly, she exploded, and a Human woman whose body was burning yet uninjured or clothes were singed was among their ranks, along with an Elf who began to cut apart a horrified Wolf Girl apart after tossing an empty glass bottle that the Monster caught on reflex.

"BURN YOU BEASTS!" Sienna shouted, the Bright Wizard swinging her sword, the Red Wind of Aquay igniting the flammable hair, hide, and fur of those Monsters it cut, while her flame wreathed body scorched those who opposed her as she ran around in their group. Kerillian meanwhile, was fighting those who tried to get behind the Bright Wizard, slicing off limbs and dodging and weaving through the gauntlet of terrified and panicking Monsters. Eventually, she was grabbed by something, and was hoisted and thrown upwards with a scream of terror, before landing on the plant barrier that was caging in the Monsters. As she inspected the battle, she saw that the Monsters, due to being herded by Sienna and Ulboro into a terrified panic, were now overrun by Lazarus and his band. The Human leader himself was facing off against a Wolf, who flashed her claws in an attempt to intimidate him. However, she was clearly the one backing away, as her legs dragged themselves backwards.

"St-stay away from me zealot! I-I-I'll gut you!" the Monster stammered, as the sounds of her kin being hacked apart were clearly overwhelming her. Lazarus glared in response.

"Oh really then? Then why are you backing away then, I'm just one man after all..." he replied, fingering the handle of his blood drenched sword as he flourished it in front of him. The Monster hesitated, then tried to take advantage of the opening Lazarus made.

_Big mistake, especially if your opponent predicted your attacks. _Kerillian thought, as Lazarus side stepped a paw strike, then slashed the exposed stomach of the Monster. As she fell over to grab at her wound, he then followed through with a decapitation, and the headless body of the Monster fell over and bled all over the ground. Another Wolf saw this, and charged Lazarus.

"You bastard!" she yelled, jumping toward him with her fangs bared, only to impale herself on his blade as he stabbed it into her throat, and through her back. He then looked at Kerillian, who was watching the ensuing fight where similar scenes were playing out, before turning to fight another Wolf Girl.

Victor could be seen keeping two of the beasts at bay, who were trying to side step his rapiers' swiftly winging point, as the Witch Hunter used his wrist to swing it in circles. Suddenly one of them managed to hit his sword and swat out of the way, so he pulled out a pistol from his coat with his free hand. "PARRY THIS!" he yelled in anger as he pulled the trigger, and shot his attacker point blank in the hip. Her companion hesitated in shock, giving the Witch Hunter enough time to slash her throat. As the Wolf grabbed her throat, he then proceeded to stab her through the eye, and grabbed the rapier blade poking out of the back of her head. As the Monster tried to stop him, still alive from whatever foul magic created her, Victor wrenched his sword, and twisted his enemies' head along with it.

"Cycil!" the wounded Wolf screamed in shock, then tried to get up to continue fighting Saltzpyre, only for Kerillian to snipe her in the heart. Victor turned, then looked at the Waywatcher, the one eyed Human staring with a grim face as usual. With a quick nod of thanks however, he dived back into the fray. Hunter, the other Witch Hunter could be seen firing his repeater handgun at a cluster of Wolves that were forming, downing three of the ten or so Monsters trying to claw a path through the barricade in their way to the forest. As they turned to face him, the Templar pulled out his falchion, and readied himself while Bardin appeared from the fighting with his Grudge Raker, and blasted two more of the Wolves as they tried to storm the lone Human. Taken by surprise, they stopped as Hunter pulled out one of his own pistols, and fired on another, her head jerking back as her brain was shot and pasted onto those behind her. As they jumped back at the gore, Bardin had loaded two more shells into his own black powder weapon, firing and downing two more of them, resulting in those who survived run to get away from the duo as Hunter pulled out another pistol.

"HAHAHA! Nice work Witch Hunter, my cousin Okri would smile on your jolly teamwork!" Bardin laughed boisterously. "We shown those Dum-Gor what for!" the second Witch Hunter simply huffed as he looked around the area, and locating Ulboro, who currently was fighting off a number of Monsters trying to dog pile him.

"Bardin, over there." he said, gesturing to the Warrior Priest with his sword. With that, the Dwarf nodded, and swapped to his ax and shield, as Hunter called over three Ilias Kruez members. The two then charged with a howling war cry that was shared by the companions, and proceeded to attack several of the Wolves, distracting the Monsters long enough for Ulboro to flex upwards, smashing the heads of two more together. As he got up, the Warrior Priest lifted a particularly small Monster looking to be in her adolescence still clinging in fear and desperation to his forearm while grinding on it in a last ditch attempt to seduce him, and swung hard enough to send her flying like a a chain tossed aside. She sailed through the air, and slammed into the tree root barrier, and fell to the ground where she curled up in pain.

* * *

***BGM FADES OUT***

* * *

"Beastmen..." the Sigmarite muttered to himself, then noticed with a look of horror that his book was missing, finding the chain connecting it to his armor was cut."Sigmars' scriptures! Where are they?!" he cried out in shock. As the Humans looked about for them, a whistling sound was heard, and the battle was paused as everyone still alive turned to see a Wolf Girl holding the book in question while standing on a knocked over Human with one foot on his chestplate. She in particular had a silvery gray coat and shining red eyes like rubies, and held the book in question with it open to a random page, making the man under her foot groan as she put more pressure on his torso.

"I supposed correctly this particular book is important to you Humans when I yanked it off that armor of yours it seems." she said, tail swishing back and forth in excitement as she gazed at it with a mischievous smile. "How about we make a deal, where you Humans-" she was suddenly cut off, as she suddenly got a small hole above her right breast at the same time one of the Witch Hunters shot her. She jerked in response, dropping the book as she stepped back. While the Human from Illias Kruez quickly grabbed it and ran, several more gunshots were heard as Hunter unleashed his wrath by shooting her seven more times with his repeater handgun, and the Wolf Girl in question fell over dead.

"Clarrisa!" one of the remaining Wolves cried out, as their final pack leader was slain in front of them. As she saw the man above her was about to cleave her head with an ax, she cried out. "No wait! I surrender, NO!" the Human ignored the Monster, and struck his ax strong and true, as what remained of the now demoralized pack was slaughtered helplessly as Ilias Kruez unleashed its wrath upon them. By the time they were done, sun was starting to set, so the caravan dug in since they were not likely to make to Witch Hunt after the delay. Thankfully, the trees seemed to assist them, as a ringed version of the barrier was made, and the caravan was enclosed around it.

Several hours later, Kerillian was inspecting and cleaning her sword and arrows, using the firelight made by the pyre that the Witch Hunters taught their fellow Humans to create to purge any dark magic still within the corpses of the beasts. She then heard footsteps, and looked up and sighed. "Are you planning a round two Krieg?"

"No, I wish to say, that I was sorry." the Wood Elf turned after a moment at hearing the words the Human woman said. She was more surprised at how honest the words were then the fact they were said. Krieg seemed off, as she shuffled in place. Her body language clearly indicated that she was telling the truth, but Kerillian still blurted out the word that came out of her mouth.

"What?"

"I'm sorry. I was the bitch this time, and should not have judged you like the 'others'. I had no right to act the way I did, and blamed our problems on you for it." The Wood Elf turned back to the fire, and looked back at her sword.

"I suppose I'm sorry as well. If my kind were put in the state you and your fellow Humans of this world are in, it would be understandable for us to be angry towards everything not of our race." she said, then turned back to Krieg. "Anything else you want to discuss?"

"You know, I have heard that Sigmarite say that there are many Gods in the world you come from. Is that true?" Kerillian chuckled lightly.

"Attending the sermons for the Priest of the Dragon with Two Tails."

"Sigmars' a Dragon!?" Krieg exclaimed. The Wood Elf burst out in a wheezing laugh, as everyone looked at the two.

"No, no, that refers to the Twin-Tailed Comet he was born under."

"What do you mean?" Kerillian turned, and saw Emile was there as well. He had hid in one of the wagons when the battle broke out, being one of the non-combatants that did most of the logistics of the organization. The Sigmarite Warrior Priest then stomped over to Kerillian, face one of unamused annoyance.

"What are you saying about Sigmar?" he asked of the Waywatcher.

"Nothing mayfly, we just had a misunderstanding." she wheezed loudly, before releasing a shrill screech. "Oh by the Cadai, you're going to love this..."

* * *

**POV SHIFT**

* * *

As Teclis was preparing to go to the area he was asked to, he turned upon hearing Promestein walking up to him with her escort. The Angels stopped, and had a look of bemusement.

"How are you able to do that exactly?"

"Your foot falls and breathing." the High Loremaster replied simply. "Is there anything you wished to ask?" at that, she shrugged.

"We have heard of the way the Humans from the Empire refer to their various Gods as being their pantheon. Are there other Gods not worshiped by the Empire?" Promestein asked in perfectly fluent Eltharin. Teclis smiled at how quickly the Angel seemed to have picked on it, though internally he found it disconcerting how Ilias was capable of listening in on anything that was spoken of in the world, which in turn made him wonder how much her darker sister was aware of behind the seal she was placed in. Since he had finished packing up his supplies for the mission, the two began to talk while walking through the castle.

"Well, yes and no. The Elves of my world technically have two pantheons. They are the Cadai, the Gods of the Heavens, and the Cyntharai, the Gods of the Underworld. Our beliefs are that they represent the duality of our race, and that every action has a meaning to at least one of them, and thus that ones actions are a form of worship to them. Vaul, for example, is the Cadai of smithing, and thus invoked when one is creating say, a sword or an ax, while..." Teclis looked around for a bit, before turning back to Promestein. "...while Khaine is the Cyntharai of hate and war, and is always drawn to battle." Promestein stared in confusion towards the High Elf, and noticed his confusion.

"Why exactly are you worried about speaking the name of this Khaine?"

"Humans somehow confused him for the God of Chaos known as the Blood God, and this has led to misunderstandings between our two peoples before..."

"Ah, I see." Promestein said. She looked away, apparently remembering something that she did not seem willing to discuss. As they continued on in silence, they ran into Leopold.

"Mi'lord Teclis." he said, bowing in respect. Teclis returned the bow in kind, and replied in Reikspiel.

"How fares the seal around the Dark Goddess currently?" he asked.

"So far it has been reinforced well by your enchantments, though I am noticing something rather... disconcerting at least." the Morrite said. "I am sensing that the Dark Goddess is stirring within her prison, and is rather, displeased with us and our actions. Just thought I should let you know."

"Well, as long as she is kept contained by the Six Ancestors Seal, she can't hurt you." Promestein said, as she proceeds to start writing down some notes. "Not unless you decided to take a dive into her prison at least." Suddenly, there was ground-splitting crack akin to a burst of thunder, and a burst of light shot out from the tomb. As the beam shot out, the Angel dropped the pen she was writing with, her skin turning paler then it normally was alongside her guards, while her companions stared with their eyes wide as dinner plates at it. When it disappeared, Promestein muttered something under her breath, and ran towards the tomb the Dark Goddess and the Ancestor Lords were held in. There, they found Arnold getting back up from the ground, the Black Guard Knight looking around in confusion.

"Are you alright, Knight of Morr?" Teclis asked, having not been formally introduced to the man. His helmet moved up and down in a nod, before gesturing to where the seal was. As Teclis and the others looked at Promestein as the Angel inspected the Six Ancestors Seal, she cursed under her breath. When she saw the Humans and High Elf looking at her, she cleared her throat.

"Long story short, the Six Ancestors Seal just became the Five Ancestors Seal... apparently the Dark Goddess had a few tricks up her sleeve we didn't know about." Promestein said grimly.

"Oh bugger." Leopold muttered as he sighed in disdain and held his forehead. "I'm already getting a splitting headache at the amount of graves we'll need to dig before this is taken care of."

"...Well that's not good if their half as powerful as the stories and myths make them out to be." Teclis muttered. "I'm guessing the Ancestor Lord in question is running around in the world to figure out what in the hell is going on on our side?"

"Probably, and considering your stoically silent friend here is still alive, I'd say she ran off somewhere to avoid detection and to scout us out first." Promestein said. "That, or establish contact with the Monster Lord. Either way, the Dark Goddess will have made sure that the Ancestor in question can hide her true power from the Ilias, so attacking anyway of the Monsters here will now become an unacceptable risk." Teclis scoffed in exasperation, rubbing a hand through his hair.

"Oh bloody hell..." after a few seconds passed of him walking around the room, he turned back to the Angel. "I'm going through with my attack on the Monster Village anyway."

"What?" Promestein asked. "Why?" when he cast a knowing look to her, the Angel had a visible look of comprehension, and chuckled lightly. "Geez, you are ballsy as hell." Teclis shrugged.

"It at least help identify which one was released." the High Loremaster replied, as he walked out the room. "I'll let my escorts know what has happened. Find Balthasar, and warn him of what is happening here. I'm ready, send me to the target area when you're ready."

* * *

**POV SHIFT**

* * *

While Granberia walked through the forest, she fell down and collapsed on her knees, and coughed loudly. The Light Elemental energy coursing through her was dissipating at this point, but the Dragon Knight knew if she didn't feed on a man soon, she was going to die long before her body fully purged it. Realizing this fact, she punched the ground in rage. She bit back the scream in her throat as her arm bones crackled, and pain shot up to her shoulder.

_Those cowardly bastards of Ilias! They know they can't kill us off on their own, so they're having the Imperial Humans do it for them. Ilias is probably laughing her ass off watching me crawl around through the forest. _She thought, as her mind became unfocused and distracted, as . _Why are the Imperials suddenly working alongside the Angels, if what Tamanos' comments about what Balthasar said about Ilias are true? As far as we know, Morr is willing to let the dead of my kin into the afterlife he presides over, while Sigmar has mentioned being the leader of these Humans. So, why are they allowing this, unless... _her thoughts trailed off, as though something clicked in her head.

The Dragon snarled as she finally got up. "No... I have to warn the others..." she growled, as she called to the Spirit of Fire. She leaned against the tree, closing her eyes as she slowed her breathing, despite the amount of pain coursing through it. "Sal..lamander... help... me." she groaned out, calling out to the Spirit in question. She didn't have to wait long to be answered, but it clearly wasn't the Spirit in question. When the Elemental of Fire entered Granberias' body, she leaves a impart of warmth in her pupils body, which invigorated Granberia whenever she had to march across the continents or was pushing herself in training much harder then normal. However, she heard a chittering sound, which caused the Dragon to perk one of her ears up. As the Knight heard something scamper away as she turned her head, her body ran cold in shock and fear, as she realized she recognized the sound as what the Skaven make when running away from her.

Quickly standing up, she proceeded to bare her fists, and called out. "Are you ready to go again assholes? I'm more then ready to beat your faces in for what you have done!" she yelled out, and then struck a tree next to her with her left arm. The bark was shattered on impact, and Granberia kept herself from flinching as her arm stung. Thankfully, her bluff worked, as she sensed the Skaven were all running away in terror. All except one however, which Granberia muttered a curse upon seeing.

"Well well, this Man-Thing Breeder still has fight-battle spirit..." the Grey Seer Skit-Slip sneered, then turned to his servants. "...Shame-worry that you FUCK-FUCKING TAIL-SHOWERS ARE BLIND-SIGHTLESS TO SEE-SEE!" it yelled in pure rage. Granberia growled.

_Damn it, you got to joking... _she thought, as the Skaven stopped running in terror, obviously worried that their leader was lyng, but wondering if Granberia was truly weakened.

"How-how dost thou knowest-see, mi-lord?" one of them asked, backing up as the Wizard Rat Man walked up to it. His branch horns had regrown, but now the regrown part was smaller, and Granberia realized that some parts of it were tipped with eyes that were stabbed onto the horns of the antler. Skaven eyes, which were beady red orbs that were oozing more then they should down the antlers, while one of his eyes was clearly infected with something. His skull had some form of metal plating attached to it, which appeared to be reinforcing the broken part of his head, as well as fusing his antlers back together.

"I am-am the Seer of the Horned Rat, it is my role to know-learn. Now, take that Man-Breeder Thing alive, we have much to seek-find about these Things that live here at once." with that, the Skaven drew a number of clubs, and rushed at her. The Dragon Knight muttered in anger, and tried to block an overhead swing. It hit against her arms, and knocked down the off-balanced Monster, and she was immediately and beaten upon as she continued to kick and punch in an attempt to resist, as the Light energy was still weakening her. Eventually the Skaven relented when the Gray Seer screeched. When they stopped, the Dragon Knight was barely breathing, and she could tell the Skaven Wizard was smiling sadistically at her.

"So then, it seems that these Things aren't all they claim-talk themselves to be-be. Scurry-hurry, take it with meh-meh, I have a deal to make with our Clan Moulder representative Pack Master." Granberia felt herself being lifted up by the Rat Men, and made a groan of pain, as they did not seem to care about taking her alive. However, as the Gray Seer went through a rock, it disappeared, revealing a hole in the ground. As he came back, the Skaven stopped upon seeing he had a glowing green amulet in his paw.

"What-what is that for?" one of them asked.

"Keep the Breeder-Thing steady-still, it's near-close to being dead-dead..." the Grey Seer said, as he tried to pry Granberias' mouth open. Upon seeing she won't cooperate, the Rat Man grunted, and punched her throat. As Granberia gagged, he jammed the tailsmen into her mouth, and the magical energy coursing through it suddenly was blasted into her body. The Dragon Knight felt an intense pulling motion, as the Light energy was drained from her body, and the amulet started to glow brighter. "Fuck-fuck..." Skit-Slip muttered, as he grabbed and wrenched it out of her mouth, before throwing it. Upon disappearing into the brush, an explosion was heard, and the Skaven jumped back at the noise.

After a few seconds, Granberia felt strength returning to her limbs. "Hehehe... big mistake rat." she said darkly, and then rushed at the Grey Seer. However, she ran into a barrier that surrounded the Skaven Wizard head-first, and cart-wheeled over him and landed on the ground with a grunt. With that, the Skaven wheezed, then pointed a finger at Granberia.

"Bind-capture this Breeder-Thing, and forget the Pack Masters' interest in these Things. It amuse-muses meh-meh..." Skit-Slip said, as he chuckled once more while Granberias' vision grew dark. At her final moments of consciousness however, she felt a stirring of Darkness, and smiled knowing what it was...

* * *

**POV SHIFT*

* * *

Out in the Monster encampments, Tamano was visibly trembling, while her assistant was looking out at the camp, her fur bristling with nervousness as she looked out at the camp. The Monsters of Hellgondo could sense the presence of one of their progenitors walking upon the earth once more. Feria began to listen in on the whisperings of the Monsters closest to Tamanos' tent. As she listened in, the Nine-Tailed Kitsune spoke up. "What is the disposition of our forces?" the Heavenly Knight of Earth asked.

"Currently, they are split about the fact one of the Ancestors has apparently been released by the Dark Goddess. On the one hand, they are hoping they can get the situation with the Imperials and Gelt under control and defeat them. On the other, whoever it is is an Ancestor, which likely means we should be sensing activity in the Castle by now. So, either something has gone wrong, or the Ancestor Lord in question is going to seek out answers from us about what has happened." Feria summarized. She then swished her own tails in nervousness, dyed currently in a blue and gray pattern. Every Monster knew about their Ancestors, the first six created by the Dark Goddess, who were infamous for their... extreme and often hedonistic lifestyles. Saja the Ancestor Lord of Lamias and Harpies for example, was known to have been the only one who actively sought a lifelong partner, but always continuously killed those men she was attracted to unintentionally due to her voraciousness. And she was the least malevolent of them, or at least can be considered having well intentions for those she sought out, as the other Five were often mentioned as being capable of single handily bringing rebellious nations to their knees, as well as acts of sadism that most Monsters nowadays would pause to consider acting upon.

Tamano meanwhile, had started to panic internally, as her plans were now suddenly in further jeopardy and danger. A key cornerstone that was central to her helping Luka and Alice bring peace and coexistence, that being her siblings not being in a position to interfere with Lukas' quest or worse, attacking and killing him themselves. "By the Dark Goddess!" she muttered grimly, as she got up and composed herself. "I'll need you to come with me, along with some of our more loyal elements to our ideas. We'll be finding and keeping an eye on the Ancestor Lord ourselves for the time being, as she'll no doubt will need to be updated on what has been happening." Feria nodded, and sighed in frustration.

After a few minutes had passed, Feria had gathered several Monsters, who jostling with each other when Tamano herself appeared before them. Upon seeing the serious look on her face, they stopped and stood at attention. With a simple nod of acknowledgment, the Kitsune set off with her group, and they quickly took off to find and escort the Ancestor Lord in question. Or, they would have, if not for a Succubus suddenly crashing to the ground. When they saw her burned and scarred wounds, they gathered around the injured creature, as she began to wheeze and cough.

"What happened to you?!" an Imp cried out in shock.

"Mantakai Village... under attack... help us." the Succubus wheezed out, before her eyes closed. Upon confirming her breath and heartbeat were still there, Tamano paled in fear.

_Gelt you fool... _she muttered, before pointing to the medical tent. "Get her taken care of, I'll be heading to Mantakai with a force in tow to stop this latest attack." she commanded, as the Monsters rushed to fulfill her orders. "Hopefully before she gets her hands on the throat of the Humans in question..." the Kitsune added under her breath. With that, she took Feria and a number of Monsters, when suddenly she heard someone call out to her.

"~Hey Tammy!" a cheerful voice called out, and Tamano turned to see a group of Vampires running up to her. The Kitsune was shocked to see their Queen was amongst their number, along with her handmaiden Carmilla, who was the one that spoke. As the Queen Vampire examined the campsite, she proceeded to speak to the Kitsune. Tamano herself looked at the cheerful Monsters with some suspicion, as they were notably against many of the reforms that Alice and her mother were trying to implement, and rumors abounded of them having been gathering with an underground movement that was planning a coup. So far, however, nothing had been proven, but Tamano was weary nonetheless about them.

"I see things have been pretty grim since the Humans managed to take the Castle..." the Queen said, staring out in the direction of it. She examined a white glove with red alluring eyes, and stared at them, shook her head as she continued, causing her golden hair which was braided into two swirling pig tails to shake. "Shame for them they pissed off the Dark Goddess it seems, as well as whatever poor bastard made the mistake of attacking Mantakai after an Ancestor Lord was released." the Queen said with condescension. "Ah well, either way, we are here now to give our support in pushing this Balthasar Gelt off our lands."

"Oh?" a Wyvern named Slin asked. "And where were you when the initial call to arms was declared by the Monster Lord?"

"Taking care of some business in my castle." the Vampire Queen said, her ornate cloak curling up and twisting in place. "I have to make sure my absence would not be needed, and left Elizabeth behind to look after some guests in the mean time."

"What sort of guests?" the Dragon offshoot asked.

"That is not your business to know, unless you are thinking of taking my place somehow?" Tamano stepped in at the point.

"We need to not fight amongst each other, that would only waste time we need to go to Mantakai..." she said. With that, the Vampire Queen and Wyvern looked at the Kitsune, and nodded as they acquiesced to the Heavenly Knights' rank. "...good, now Slin, I want you to fly ahead, and scout out the village for the rest of us. Do not engage, I plan to take them with surprise and stealth. If you believe the Imperials spotted you, fly around towards the Castle, then circle wide and away so they will be less likely to recognize that we are coming to their east."

"Yes Knight Tamano." with that, the Wyvern kicked up to air, and flew off into the air, as Tamano turned to her gathered band of Monsters. "Alright, let's go. There's also a contingent of Skaven as well running about Hellgondo, so stay alert on our way." Tamano said, adding in the line about the Skaven to let the Vampires know not to let their guard down.

As they were on their way over to Mantakai through the forests, the Wyvern came back, and landed on the ground in front of them. "Mi'lord, it's not the Imperials, something else. I don't know what they are, but they aren't Human, Skaven, or Monster, but they are pissed and already heading this way towards the camp. At least, not Monsters lie us." The Monsters rallied up, as the Wyvern left to warn the others to prepare. With that, Tamano and the others with ran ahead to see what was it she saw. Soon, they began to hear the stomping of cloven hooves and snorting breaths from afar off, and stopped as they drew their weapons or prepared their spells for what awaited them. One of the Monster took out a horn, and after a nod from Tamano, she blew into it to draw their attention.

* * *

**POV SHIFT**

* * *

***BGM: BFG DIVISION FROM DOOM 2016***

* * *

As the Khorngor Zarkrak Brazen Ax was running to track down the escaping Mutants that dared build a village, paused upon hearing a horn. As he stopped, his herd of similar Devoted Beastmen paused, and turned to the direction it came from. Each one of the Khorngors were dressed in red bronze armor, coated from the blood and gore of their most recent battle in the skirmish, followed by them chasing down a number of Human men that were left behind when the Mutants that built the village in question fled like cowards. While most of the Brayherd was still occupied with their tearing down and defiling the nest of civility and order, Zarkrak and his small herd of Devoted had been chasing down the scent of a terrified Mutant, their bloodlust causing them to separate from the others. While most of his kin appeared more or less the same behind the armor and weapons they made for themselves, Zarkrak was distinguishable by his horns growing into the Mark of the Blood God who he followed, making him the leader of the Brayherds' Khorngors in particular, as well as his better quality ax and armor sporting the Mark of the Blood God which burned in his chest plate combined with his larger size and strength to match.

"It came from that way. After them!" he shouted to his subordinates in the tongue of the Beastmen, and as they followed him, each one echoed his warcry. "BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD! SKULLS FOR THE SKULL THRONE!"

"BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD! SKULLS FOR THE SKULL THRONE!" The Gors under his command formed into an arrow head formation, bellowing in rage as they worked themselves up to a frothing rage to slay and maim, rip and tear, and to claim skulls for the Blood God Khorne for whom their caste was named after. They began to run through the trees in a stampede of hate and fury, when they sighted their prey. However, when they saw their target, Zarkrak and his herd stopped in shock and surprise.

* * *

***BGM STOPS***

* * *

_What in the name of the Blood God is this? _He thought, as he took in the sight before him and his herd. The herd of Mutants was formed of what seemed to be similar the previous ones he attacked, but dress in a manner as to appear as erotically dressed noble Human women, but he was more confused by the second part of their ranks. They looked like Human females with parts of the bodies of animals, which ranged in variety and type. Even more, they smelled less like Humans, and more like the animal versions of what he imagined a Slaangor would smell like. The dog Mutant with black skin, red fur, and horns had the scent of a canine Slaangor for example. After a moment passed, he noticed the Mutants that were like the village he razed, and the rage of Khorne overcame him once more. Raising his ax, he pointed at them, and yelled "KILL THEM!"

* * *

***BGM RESUMES***

* * *

Snapping to reality, the Khorngors with him charged, raising their weapons as he ran ahead of them with his shield in front as one of the canine Mutants rushed him. Zarkrak braced, stopped, and at the last second made a pushing motion when the Mutant leaped at him. The Khorngor smashed it in the head, and registered the feeling of his shoulder being knocked off his joint as he was knocked on his back. However, he managed to roll, and twisted his arm back in place in one motion,and turned to see the Mutant that attacked him was stunned for the impact, and one of her horns had been broken off and stuck to his shield. Setting his ax under his arm, Zarkrak grabbed the horn, pulled it out with one motion, and noticed one of the more Human-looking Mutants coming at him. He proceeded to stab it in the eye as she tried to claw his face, wrenching sideways with enough force to tear off a piece of her head. As he turned and saw an archer about to loose an arrow at him while hanging on a tree branch upside down by her legs, he threw the horn at her, and stuck in her shoulder. The Mutant yelped in pain as she loosed the arrow anyway, but due to flinching, it bounced off his pauldren, and Zarkrak grabbed his ax, and turned to shield bash a Fox Mutant with blue and gray aside as she tried to sneak up him. As she hit the ground, the Mutant looked up, and saw his ax falling down, about to hit her neck. She managed to dodge it, then spun about and kicked the Beastmans' legs out from under him. Due to the sheer size of his bulk and the weight of his armor, Zarkrak left a crater when he hit the earth, and held back the feeling of motion sickness when he looked back to see the same Mutant was running towards him, somehow having acquired an ax from one of the other Devoted. When she tried to hit him, it bounced off his armor and sent her arms wide, and Zarkrak kicked her in the stomach and sent her jumping back several feet, eliciting a grunt of pain as she grabbed her unprotected abdomen and fell to one knee.

As he got up, something jumped on his back, and suddenly he felt some form of cloth wrapping around his skin under his armor. Screaming in rage, he felt a burning sensation as he saw it was the black cape belonging to one of the Human Mutants. _This cape is sucking out my blood! _He realized with shock, then raged in anger. He proceeded to reach for the head of his attacker, and felt it shift and twist away from his shield hand. Annoyed by this, he reversed his ax, and swung it over his head, hearing the satisfying sound of it hitting flesh and bone. A pain filled grunt accompanied it, and when he pulled it out, Zarkrak jumped and landed back first to crush it underneath his weight before she recovered. When he rolled off and turned to see who it was, he saw the Mutant was miraculously still alive, though clearly wounded. She appeared to be one of the leaders of this particular race, and was about to hack her head off, when one of its subordinates suddenly flew in and kicked in his helmet. Zarkrak stepped back, as his vision was now impaired, causing the Khorngor to snort and bellow in anger.

After feeling two more strikes hit him, and sensing the Mutant in question backed off, he proceeded to grab his helmet, and then ripped it off to look at her. When her eyes suddenly flashed, the Beastman reared in shock at the light. The rune on his chest plate suddenly burned hotter, unweaving the magic that the thing tried to cast on him, and the Beastman charged her in anger. As she stared in shock, he whacked her upside the head with his helmet, then smashed a leg as she fell by stomping on it. It proceeded to scream in agony, causing its companions to run at him with pure rage in their eyes. As he took in his surroundings, he noticed several of the Khorngors were on the ground, ripped apart or being taken by the creatures, as they deserved for falling prey to them. It was then it suck in that these Mutants must've been servants of Slaanesh, and had lured the Brayherd to this place for some purpose.

While the Brayherd had first sensed that the forest they were in was not the one they resided in, with less foliage covering the sky, they had decided to question it later when they smelled and sensed the Mutants that were in the village. Now, it clicked to Zarkrak that they likely did not plan their village being razed so early, hence being caught off-guard, but this was the only thing that made sense in the Beastmans' mind. It did not matter, as he simply raised his weapon and shield, and snarled, ready to reap his toll upon these freaks of freaks. Suddenly, they stopped, and looked at something behind him. The Beastman then felt an overwhelming presence behind him, that made him pause.

* * *

***BGM ENDS***

* * *

It was enough to make enough the rage-filled Khorngor stop, as he could feel two eyes boring into his soul. He could not understand what it said, but he feel every fear in the animal half of his mind scream to run. He quickly kicked back to splash his opponent with mud, and swung his ax to follow through however, only to find he struck air only. Sensing movement from below, he turn only to see a pale fist strike him, sending the Beastman flying into the air with a baleful cry of pain. As he soared in the air, the thing grabbed his left hoof, and threw Zarkrak at the ground, towards the village the Brayherd was. As he slammed into the dirt and smacked into a statue, he somehow miraculously survived the impact, though he wished he hadn't.

As the other Beastmen stopped and stared in recognition of who had fallen from the sky, they recoiled in shock when something crashed into the ground at the foot of the village, and turned to see what it was. Suddenly, a pink wave of energy started flying at the Beastmen, who started to panic when it flew at them. However, a Bray-Shamen with the Mark of Khorne on its chest raised its hand, and spell proceeded to unravel, causing the magical energy to dissipate before reaching the Brayherd. The Beastmen proceeded to draw their weapons, and charged the dust cloud.

* * *

***BGM: FOUR KINGS FROM DARK SOULS***

* * *

However, a shape zipped through them, and knocked aside the horde of mutated creatures, going straight for the Shamen. Just as it raised its' staff, the blur of motion went behind it, and disappeared as their head snapped backwards. Zarkrak got out of the hole he was smashed in, and started crawling in pain away from the screaming and shouting Chaos worshipers as they were torn and ripped apart by the thing to search for a weapon.

"WHERE IS IT?! SOMEONE KILL IT, KILL IT QUICKLY! AARRAGGH!" A Gor screamed, before suddenly being cleaved in half. As the Bestigor next to him turned, the sword the Gor carried was stabbed into its' skull. Braying noises could be heard as the thing that was amongst them tore the sword out, and threw it with enough force to send an Ungor flying when it hit their chest. A number of Tzaangors clustered together, and began chanted to the God of Change. Before they finished the spell, a whirlwind fell and struck them, burning the Devoted Beastmen of Tzeentch to bloody ribbons. While the slaughter continued, a Slaangor was able to track what it was among them, and tried to give chase, only to be decapitated as it tried to gore the attacker. Zarkrak was contemplating suicide to escape the carnage, knowing that to run would mean guaranteed death, either by the hand of this being, or by one of the Blood Hounds. However, he couldn't find anything, when the Great Bray-Shaman Khazaka appeared, and quickly proceeds to slam his staff just as the attacker was about to hit him. The Mutant was sent flying back from a dark pulse of energy, and struck a still standing wall of a house that was still burning, which collapsed on top of it. Before they could recover, Khazaka charged the Blue Wind of Azur, holding his hands up high, and bringing them down as a comet was teleported from the great void between worlds, and smashed into the rubble. Zarkrak and the surviving Beastmen started to gather around behind the Beastmen, when the debris that was left moved aside allowing them to see their opponent.

It took the form of a small girl, with pink and green hair divided into two halves, wearing naught but a ribbon of cloth that somehow did not burn around her tattooed white skin and four white wings. However, the Beastmen sensed it was far older, and worse, was not at its peak, as she got up looking at them with what could only be rage in its blood red eyes. Khazaka slammed his staff, and created a swirling set of blue crackling daggers around his form. The Great Bray-Shaman was visibly disturbed by the way the Mutant was able to get up with little in the way of wounds, but his foresight from using the sorceresses of Azur will give an advantage... he hoped. As the Mutant growled, it shot forth at the Bray-Shaman, and the swirling daggers launched themselves at his attacker. She pressed on despite the cuts they left on her skin, and jammed her hand into the shocked and terrified magic Beastman. As she grabbed his heart, the daggers of Azur energy stabbed and slashed the creature, and she winced and grunted in pain. Even so, she still managed to crush the screaming Khazakas' heart in her fist, and ripped her arm out, causing the corpse of the Beastman sorcerer to fall dead like a ragdoll. A Wargor suddenly punched her in the jaw, but the Mutant recovered instantly, and threw it with a deceptive amount of strength, sending the elite Beastman warrior flying away and breaking its neck upon hitting the ground. As she stepped back several more of the Beastmen infantry dog-piled her, trying to stomp the Mutant to death. As they began to kick and trample the enemy, Zarkrak got to join, and stopped when he found a ring of energy flowing around him, and stared at it in confusion.

"What is that?" A Bestigor next to him asked.

"I don't know." The Khorngor replied honestly, when the ring formed a portal and he let out a bellow while falling through, grabbing unto the Bestigor by their beard and pulling them through. Just as it closed, the Mutant screamed and released an aura that formed a tornado with her in the center. Without Khazaka to counter it, the Beastmen were sucked up into it, baying and squealing in fright as they were thrown about the land, while none of the buildings and such were disturbed save for the stones and dust that struck them. As abruptly as when it formed, it was then canceled dropping everything, and the Mutant got up, bruised, bloodied, and stared out at the devastation of her attack of last resort, and cursed upon realizing she was already given away.

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**POV SHIFT**

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***BGM ENDS***

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As Tamano and what remained of the Monsters reached Mantakai, they noticed all the dead non-Monster Monsters strewn about, and the destroyed village that was left. As the Monsters saw the Ancestor Lord in question, they quickly recognized her as Minagi, one of the more powerful Ancestors, and the birth mother of the Succubi and their offshoots such as the Vampires. Even the Vampire Queen seemed shock that this was the one that was released but still maintained her cool, and mumbled something about watching the dungeons carefully.

Tamano reacted in the complete opposite manner however, cursed up a storm, her normally collected and even-tempered demeanor falling away like a mask as she let an expression of rage. Turning to the Castle, she screamed in anger. The other Monsters stared in wide-eyed shock, as they never knew that she had the guts to yell at the Dark Goddess herself, and with an Ancestor ten feet away from her no less.

"WHY MINAGI?! WHY DID IT HAVE TO BE MINAGI?!" the Kitsune yelled incoherently as she fell to her knees. "YOU COULD'VE SENT HIRUKO, OR KANADE! HELL, I WOULD EVEN TAKE KANON OVER HER YOU JACKASS! WWHHYYY?!" after a few seconds of a loud and drawn out groan of despair, fear, hate and rage Tamano slowly collected herself, brushing a loose strand of hair. "Alright, get yourself together hun. You can work with this, just tell not to kill anyone, and give her lots of strong and healthy young men that are fine sharing the same monster." suddenly, Minagi made a groaning noise as she got back up.

"Would you stop talking for five seconds, and will someone explain how the Angels and Humans took the Monster Lord Castle, and what those things I just slaughtered were?"

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**POV SHIFT**

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As the Angels of Heaven began to panic and scream in fear because of this new development, the Gods Sigmar and Morr took the shaking Eden aside to explain what was going on. Ilias had, upon seeing Minagi, flew into a similar rage that Tamano had, and her rant was similar, albeit still going on in the background, and with more vitriol in her tone and words, and was raging long before Tamano and her group saw the Ancestor Lord.

"Well, Minagi is the most depraved of the Ancestors, to the point that Ilias hates her the most, as you can hear."

"...AND DRAG YOUR PASTY REMAINS INTO THE DEEPEST PIT IN THE SEAS, AND THROW YOU INTO THEM IN A THRINCE DAMNED PINE BOX!" Ilias could be heard screaming, followed by the sound of what sounded like dishes breaking. Sigmar rubbed at his eyes, while Morr barely react beyond an eye roll. As Eden was about to explain further, They turned as someone entered the room. She appeared in the form of a blind elderly Elf woman, an old crone who was hunched over, yet despite that clearly radiated power that shown she was a god. As the Crone Goddess spoke, all of Heaven went still. Including Ilias, no doubt sensing the intruder.

"That, and if she is allowed to roam the world, chances are she will drain every man dry into a husk, which is obviously bad news for the Humans of this world, and Monsters that are not immortal..." with that, she sat down in a chair, as Eden scoffed as she looked right at the Angel.

"Who are you?" Ilias said, appearing before the group and seeing the intruder.

"Morai-Heg, Crone Goddess of the Cyntharai, whose domain is the shaping of fate itself as well as the stars in our world." Sigmar said, though he seemed unnerved by the whole ordeal. "What are you doing here?" at that, the Goddess of Fate shrugged.

"I sensed the being known as Minagi, peered into the future of how she will shape this world, and affect ours if she found a way into ours, did not like the results." she then turned to Eden. "Now then, would you get some tea, ginger with lavender leaves sounds rather lovely at the moment." Ilias looked on in annoyance, while Eden muttered something about not being a damn Cupid towards the Crone.

"Is literally everyone capable of waltzing into my domain whenever they feel like it?" she sighed.

"Not quite. In fact, I had called in a favor from you, dear Ilias."

"Me?"

"Oh by Ulric, it hasn't been a minute and Warp sorcery is already afoot here." Sigmar groaned as he held his face in his hands. Morai-Heg frowned as she looked at him, then spoke up.

"Well, as it stands, I also saw an opportunity to use this time to point that Minagi has her uses... say, if she was dropped in the middle of the Everchosens' army, methinks." the Crone Goddess said. Sigmar and Morr looked at the Crone, before the God of War got up and pointed a finger at her.

"No, I already see where the rabbit hole starts. Ilias, whatever you do, do not say yes to her proposal. Trust me, it is going to bite us in the ass." Morai-Heg snickered loudly.

"Too late." she said. "I'm already here..."

"So if you send Minagi to take out Archaon and get her out of my hair before she fucks with my plans, I'll owe you a single favor, right?" the Goddess of Heaven asked. Morr and Sigmar looked at her wide-eyed in shock.

"No promises." with that, Morai-Heg extended a hand to Ilias, which had nails more akin to claws due to how long they were. Noting the scars that also traveled up the Cyntharai Goddess' hands and arms, the Goddess took the hand and shook it before Morr and Sigmar could stop her. "Now then, can you do it now?"

"Not yet dear Ilias, for we'll need something for her to feel motivated to return to this world, wouldn't want to cause problems for the Empire or even Kislev now, which Tamano has unwittingly provided for us now..." the Crone cooed, pointing to the two Monsters she mentioned. "Besides, I would also prefer if you did not interfere, Sigmar. If you stand aside, I'll reduce the debt you and the others owe me." After a few seconds passed, Sigmar sighed.

"Get it over with already. You probably had a hand in this to begin with."

* * *

**POV SHIFT**

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"After that, Granberia and Alma Elma have yet to report, while my colleague Erubetie was slain in the very Castle itself. Currently, the current Monster Lord, who is still the direct descendent of the Dark Goddess is traveling with a Human she is interested in, believing that their adventures together will help quell the Imperials, and convince them that our people can in fact, exist together peacefully. Which brings us to you, Ancestor Lord Minagi." Tamano said, finishing her explanation of the many thousands of years that passed, what happened, how Monster society evolved and changed, and how the Monster Lord Castle itself came under Human occupation after taking her sister back to the camp. Minagi listened intently to the Nine-Tailed Kitsune Knight of Earth, her red eyes enhancing an uncharacteristically serious look on her face as she looked at the records of what has happened. "How exactly did you get out of the Six Ancestors Seal?"

"Well now..." the Succubus Birth Mother said, filing her nails. "...to summarize it, your account of the death and destruction at the Castle had caused me and my sisters to awaken. That, and Mother sensed something has gone wrong. As a result, she chose me to investigate what in the hell had been happening... speaking of which, I want to talk to you privately, Tamano..."

"Tamano May Sun."

"Ah yes of course, pretty name. Either way, I believe what I have to say should be kept between us." with that, Tamano looked at Feria, who turned around and left, while the two Monsters activated an enchantment which silenced and muted any sound inside it from spilling out. Minagi stared at Tamano, her face one of visible disappointment. An uncomfortable silence passed before Tamano spoke up.

"Is there something wrong, mi'lord?" the Kitsune asked, though she already knew the answer.

"Yes, there is many things wrong, Knight Tamano..." Minagi proceeds to get up from her chair. "One of the more extraneous wrongs I find, is that the current Monster Lord, descended directly from the Dark Goddess herself, has not executed this Balthasar Gelt for murder of Monsters, and for his blasphemous words you mentioned him saying about the Dark Goddess." The Ancestor Lord grabbed an apple, and bit into it as she walked back to the table the two were sitting at, setting aside a bottle of sake, a tea cup for Tamano, and a chalice for herself. The Kitsunes' ears twitched lightly at what she said, her mind remembering long ago memories.

"Well, to be fair on the Human, he is from another world. He may have uttered blasphemy about our kind, but given our history, he is not wrong." she replied, playing Devils' Advocate for Gelt.

"Hmph, yet you're willing to defend him... and what do you mean he is not wrong?"

"Well, how many Human nations did Tamano no Mae destroy, genocide their peoples, and ate their remains simply because she could, or because they offended the Dark Goddess in some way?" Tamano questioned, causing a look of contempt to cross the features of Minagis' face as she poured some sake for herself and her sister. "Even if it was say, because a King kept a certain race from overrunning his lands, he was just trying to protect his people at the time. That does not mean we should just-"

"That's rather ironic. Your Ancestor Tamano no Mae would've never second guess her consuming an entire nation, not that she'd really need a reason to do so to begin with." Minagi took a drink from her chalice, then looked back at the Kitsune. "When did this new movement within our kind start taking root, exactly? It must've been slowly growing past the thousands off years since Mother first walked this earth to have not been noticed by any of the more immortal Queens and their servants, as I imagine the older generations do not approve..." she said, looking at Tamano with suspicion.

"You can be surprised by how the threat of Ilias and her Angels unleashing her wrath upon us during the Great Monster Wars can change a people." the Kitsune said, not showing any of the nervousness she was feeling. Minagi looked at the Kitsune. "After the Wars, many actually slowly started to develop the belief that we should not try to enslave the Humans. As it stood, if we did so, not only would it justify Ilias' response and seeking out our extermination, but our treatment of the Humans was what caused this to happen to begin with." the Kitsune explained. "Eventually, the Fateburn family line itself, with a few exceptions had also developed this thinking. The fact that the 8th Monster Lord also has gone down in memory as a tyrant and a warlord is proof of this." The Succubus Ancestor scoffed.

"If you ask me, she should've conquered the world by now... whatever happened to her?"

"Dead, killed by a Human named Heinreich. He disappeared after wards, but all that is known is that the 8th was the only Monster to die at his hands, after which her empire fell into disrepair when her successor could not sustain it. Among other things, Monsters that were not in agreement with her polices of continuing the war and expansions began to fight those that did. The political upheaval alone took a century to die down due to those who could still remember the times of old not letting go."

"Well then, sounds like we have a rather... problematic group of insurrectionists." Minagi said, sniffing her sake, then getting up. "I suppose I'll have to... Tamano?" the Succubus Ancestor asked, noticing that the Kitsune was frozen, with the exception of her eyes, which gazed about in a panic. As she looked around, she saw a shadow approaching the tent they were in. As the Ancestor noted that it was hunched over, she readied herself to fight the thing that paralyzed her sister somehow. However, she found she herself was also frozen, unable to moved a muscle as the hunched thing entered the tent.

It appeared in the form of an Elf, but she was old, a crone upon whom a raven sat on her shoulder. Minagi also noted that she held a large amount of power disproportionate to her haggard and ugly appearance. As it chuckled with an almost sadistic smile, it spoke in an accent that Minagi could not recognize.

"I have a most profitable plan for you." it said cryptically, before waving a hand at Minagi, who then flew over to her hand, which nails more akin to claws. Tamano started to twitch as she turned towards the newcomer, who lifted Minagi like an oversized doll. "Ah, that's a first. Well, I made a promise to do something for Ilias, and I'm not one to leave a task half-finished, so sorry, but I must leave now. HeheheHEHEHAHA!" the crone cackled madly, turning into an over sized raven that flew up through the roof of the tent. Minagi was carried away in her talons, and made a scream of terror and fear as a portal opened up, and the two disappeared. Tamano and the Monsters that witnessed this then looked on as as it closed shut on them, as though it never happened.

"Shit!" the Kitsune muttered, realizing that her sister had just been kidnapped.

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**POV SHIFT**

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_Somewhere in Ostland_

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As Kriegor Blood Mane examined the battlefield, the Khornate champion stared at how the last of the defenders of the Kislevite village he burned down tried to escape his wrath, and that of his Norsemen. As the blood flowed in literal rivers onto the ground from their slaughter, he began to laugh evilly at the scene of carnage. He may be behind schedule to keep up with Archaon and his army of Chaos Undivided, but soon the Chosen Knight would make to the final battle.

He began to chuckle loudly, when he noticed something falling from the sky. "What in the Blood Gods' name is that?" he muttered, eyes squinted at the object. It appeared to a Mutant of some kind falling from the sky, despite having two pairs of perfectly normal and functioning wings, which were white n color, and resembled what a scaleless Dragon wing might look like. As it fell, Kriegor realized it was falling towards his men. "INCOMING! TAKE COVER!" he shouted, and the Norscans ran to avoid the collision, needing only his command to realize something went wrong.

***BWOOM!***

As he got off the ground, another Chosen ran over to him, wearing the same red armor that Kriegor had.

"Was that just a single cannon ball?" he asked.

"No, just some Mutant..."

"...Whelp, it's dead now. Pity, I wonder if-" the second Chosen stopped talking, as his eyes looked in the direction of the crater that was left behind. As Kriegor turned around, he saw the same Mutant getting up off of the ground, muttering in some unknown tongue. Cathayain perhaps, or maybe the language of Nippon. When it stopped and looked at them, they recognized the look it gave as one that an animal about to pounce was, and prepared for battle.

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**Authors note: I was going to make this longer, but decided you all waited long enough... Next Chapter will be some time between now and the end of the world. That is all for now.**


	28. Chapter 28

**Vermin Tide Quest**

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Chapter 28

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As Luka and Alice walked towards San Ilias, the two noticed that there was a clear increase of security, with several guards organized to patrol the area around the city. One of these patrols saw the two of them, and marched over to Luka and Alice.

"Are you two alright?" one of the guards asked.

"Yes, I'm fine." Luka said. "Why do you ask, did something happen?" it was then that the guards explained that a group of Elves dressed in strange armor, one of whom was a magic user had appeared in the city. The two travelers visibly tensed, recalling how viscous the Elf from the other world was, to the point of attacking her kin on sight. However, strangely enough, the Elves, instead of kidnapping or attacking anyone, made a quick escape through a tavern, finding a secret entrance, and disappeared after leaving the city upon seeing they were outnumbered, mostly leaving the Humans around them untouched. The only injuries that were inflicted were from a guard that rushed the magic using Elf, only to blasted away with a lightening bolt of some kind, and several civilians who were roughly shoved or struck aside when the group huddled around said Elf Wizard.

"After that, the King declared that the guard were to go on alert for any more Monster incursions. So far, other then clear signs they ran north towards where the Haunted Mansion was, there has been no sign of them. Be careful out, and may Ilias' light guide you." the guard said.

"Well, about that, I'm a Hero! The names' Luka." Luka said, puffing out his chest. Alice rolled her eyes slightly, as the guard took a second glance at Luka.

"Wait, as in Luka from Ilias Village?" the guard asked, as the Human boy nodded his head in confusion. "You must come with us then, the King gave us orders to escort you at once to his chamber." with that, the guards formed up around the two, and as they walked through the streets, Luka noted that one of the wells was slightly damaged. People watched the group wearily, as Luka merely looked about the area.

"Is there anywhere else these Elves could have gone to?" he asked.

"Well, there's the Haunted Mansion, which was built near a graveyard where criminals were executed. Other then that, there is the forest past that, and those are the only two places I can imagine them going to. Sorry I can not help with that, but we must take to see the King first." the guard said, smiling sheepishly.

"It's fine really, I just wished I came here sooner..." Luka said, as his voice trailed off. Alice placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, you're doing fine. Remember those people that are wishing you to push onwards to complete your quest." She said, causing Luka to blush slightly. The guards did not comment on this, but the curious looks they gave towards the exchange definitely got them thinking. As they entered the castle, the two were escorted into the audience chamber, which was one of the most lavish and decorated rooms Luka had seen.

The had a red carpet which spanned the room, along with marbled pillars and paintings of Ilias that were hung on the walls. As for the king himself, he was dressed in a robe and crown that looked equal parts regal and religious, which was not afar off from his role. He was also clearly in his 60s at least, with short white hair poking out from under his crown and lined his face, while looking at Luka and Alice with eyes that had a warm, welcoming energy to them.

"Hello there Luka, I'm glad you have made it here safely, with what has been transpiring over the past few days." he said, a weariness in his voice as he rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Your majesty, is something wrong?" Luka asked.

"No, just the toil and weight of my duty." the Priest-King replied. "So then, to get to the point, are you unbaptized by Ilias?" he asked, catching the two off-guard. Luka grew embarrassed as he responded.

"Yes." he admitted sheepishly, afraid of what he would say due to stigma of being unbaptized by the Goddess of Heaven in this society. The King however, smiled lightly.

"It is as she has said then." Luka was visibly confused. "Ilias came to me in a dream and said that an unbaptized Hero was going to defeat the Monster Lord. That, and that he would come from Ilias continent by sea." with that, the King sat down on a chair, gesturing for Luka and Alice to sit with him, while his face grew serious. "Right now, with the reports I am getting, the time is quickly growing upon us. Luka, do you see this sword here?" he asked, gesturing to the weapon he referred to hanging on display.

"Yes?" Luka replied, visibly drawn to it as he seemed to notice something about it. Alice saw it only as a mundane item at first, until she felt that something was warping it, as though the sword was in fact being altered in some manner, yet was not. Luckily however, neither of the Humans noticed as the King continued to speak. Angel Halo however, seemed to notice, as Alice sensed the Light Energy of the Angels it was made from shift and stir.

"This is the Goddess Sword, and was made in Heaven to be a weapon to defeat the Monster Lord herself." Alice rolled her eyes, though she swore that she felt the King glance at her. "Due to its power, capable of making even the vilest of evils tremble, you are not yet ready to wield yet Luka. However, you can become worthy, but first, you must speak with three wise men, and prove to them that you are the one who will wield it for the glory of Ilias. Come back after you have done this, and then the Goddess Sword will be yours."

"Really?" Luka asked. "Just how powerful is this Goddess Sword?"

"It's said to be powerful enough to make even the Heavenly Knights and the Monster Lord kneel if the one chosen by Ilias were to wield it in her name." Alice at that point scoffed. She then approached the Goddess Sword, intent on breaking it.

"Ridiculous. As always, the Goddess of-" she was immediately interrupted mid-speech however, as she suddenly recoiled upon touching the handle. A bright and holy light pulsed out from the Goddess Sword, and sent the disguised Monster Lord flying into the wall with a scream, and a loud crack could be heard as she smacked into it and fell to the floor. Luka and the King were shocked at this, and the got out of their seats to see if she was hurt.

As they inspected the dazed Monster Lord, who held the back of her head as she groaned. A guard burst into the room, drawn by the loud noise.

"What happened to her?!"

"I told you the Goddess Sword is powerful." was all the King said to Alice, noticing that she was miraculously unhurt, save for the headache she was feeling and turned to the guard. "Everything is alright. We just had an incident with the Goddess Sword." he explained. With that, the guard nodded his head, then left.

"What was that?"

"That is what happens when the Goddess Sword deems you unworthy, or finds your heart wanting." the San Ilias King said, his voice taking an oddly cold tone. Luka and Alice tensed up at that, as they felt him gazing at her. "Even so, it has never been this reactive before... say, miss..."

"Alice."

"Alice, just where were you born? I didn't really question your presence with Luka, assuming he was escorting you to safety, what with the roads becoming more dangerous by the day. You wouldn't happen to be from up north, where the faith in Ilias has grown dim, per chance?" at that, Luka grew nervous, as he did not know what to do in this situation.

"I found her alone while I was in the woods." Luka said, and Alice glanced at him.

_Luka, the hell are you doing? _She thought, her eyes looking at him with confusion, then anger. _Don't you dare..._

"Oh? Is that so?" the King asked.

"Well, yes, outside my home town. I didn't know what to do with her, and she also happens to have amnesia, you see." at that, Alice made a sound akin to a combination between a gasp and cough. "She only remembered her name, that this sword here, as evil as it looks, is called Angel Halo. I've taken to using it because so far, it has been more useful for fighting off Monsters then my iron sword." Luka said, showing the Angel Halo, which made the San Ilias King scrunch his nose at seeing it. "But she does not remember where she was born, if she has any family and as such I made the suggestion that she come with me, so that we could look for someone who knew her, or someone who could help find someone who did."

_Are you kidding me? There's no way he'll fall for that!_

"Oh my, I'm sorry..." the King said, a look of pity crossing his features as Alice stared blankly. "I hope he helps you find your home... and once again, I apologize for my rudeness."

_Are you kidding me? _She thought, still maintaining the same blank look on her face.

"I can lend my assistance, if you wish." the King offered, once again smiling cheerfully, and his friendly features returned to normal.

"No, it is fine. But thank you anyways, my liege." Luka said, bowing respectfully on one knee to the king. "However, if there is anything you or the people of this city needs, I'll see what I can do." with that, the San Ilias King nodded thoughtfully.

"We have been getting reports of activity where the Haunted Manor was. So far, it was reported by our magicians that something has transpired there. At the time it happened, we were occupied by a group of Elves my guards no doubt told you about, so it happened as they were in the city. If you are willing to watch over my court mage so they may give me a report of the situation, I'd be most grateful for that." Luka thought about it for a moment, before nodding his head. Alice inwardly groaned, as having people with them meant greater chances for her to be discovered and everything falling apart further.

"Alright, I'll make sure no harm comes upon them." with that, the two left the room, with Alice rubbing at the back of her head. However, she sensed something coming, and stopped, recognizing it as a Skaven. Luka noticed, and turned to speak to her, when she suddenly tackled him and the king.

"Look out!" she yelled, as a glowing green shurikin whizzed over their heads, and was deflected by the Goddess Sword into the roof. A guard who saw what happened ran over, shouting out loud.

* * *

***BGM: AT DOOMS GATE, ORIGINAL VERSION***

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"Assassin! There is an assassin in the castle!" he screamed, as the civilians began to panic. "Protect the King at once!" suddenly, a rope with a hook shot down for the roof, and stabbed into his ankle. As the man fell over, he was then pulled up screaming, and several slashing sounds later fell back down in several pieces, blood spattering all over a noble woman that had the unfortunate luck of being just behind him when he was pulled up, causing her to screech in fear. Luka paused, turning pale upon seeing how quickly the Human was torn apart by the Skaven assassin. A group of archers, seeing this pulled their bows and aimed high, before loosing a volley in the general area.

For a brief moment, the Skaven in question could be seen as it jumped off, then swung through the air using the rope like a repelling line towards the archers. It was like the other ones that leap about back in Happiness Village, but clearly better trained and equipped, as it sailed in the air, and threw an object at them. When it struck the ground, a smoke cloud was created, and it could be seen drawing a sword just before it went in. Several screams of pain and terror could be heard, as one of the archers tried to run out of the cloud, only for a dagger to hit him in the back. The man cried out in pain, and fell over on the ground as another hit his knee. Luka ran forwards, as Alice cried out.

"Wait!" Luka then stopped, as a second Skaven leapt at him from the air, and landed in front of him as it swung at thin air.

"Shit-shit!" it shouted, and tried to run, only to be slashed in the back with Angel Halo. The Rat Man yelped as it grasped at where the sword went into its body, and fell forwards as it was sealed, and Luka blocked it up to blocked another shurikin from the first one. As the sealed Skaven scurried away in terror, a third came down, stabbing it in the back with one of the more familiar clawed weapons that Luka was used to.

"What the hell?!" he shouted.

"Weak-weakling Skaven are not tolerated, especially when beat-beaten by a Man-Thing like you!" it spat in reply, before charging at him, claw bared and sword drawn. One of the castle guard ran at from an angle, and tried to intercept it.

"NO! DON'T!" Luka yelled, but was too late as the first assassin suddenly appeared, decapitating him with a single swing of his sword. Hissing, it then ran towards him, following the other Skaven as Luka dodged the leaping creature. Luka was able to parry the vertical swing it made, and the Skaven assassin did a back-flip as he tried to exploit the opening he made, using the force of his defensive maneuver to fly away from him. Luka then cried out as he felt something stab his leg, and turned to see the second Skaven used the opportunity to throw another one of its daggers, hitting him in the thigh. "Ah! Bastard!" he shouted in anger.

However, he sensed something coming, and ducked just in time to avoid another slash from the Skaven that back flipped away from him, and found himself caught in between them. Luka then side swiped the ground with leg, turning in place and tripping one of them, while the other jumped back. The one that Luka tripped managed to catch its balance, and tried to stab him as the assassin rat pushed itself up. The Human then side-stepped, deflecting the sword it used towards the Skaven assassins' partner, who stopped and ducked away from the blade. With it recoiling from the parry, Luka swung at it, only for the Skaven assassin to drop on to its back, using it tail to spring back up as they both began to release a flurry of attacks.

_By Ilias! These ones must be elites, or at least more experienced Skaven! _He realized while trying to block their attacks, and turned to see that Alice and the King were being ignored after the assassin back ed away, despite them being escorted away from the immediate fighting area by a dozen or so guards. While he snapped back to look back at the assassin, he then was stabbed in the shoulder by one of the swords, followed by a kick to the stomach that nearly sent him collapsing onto the ground. _They're more coordinated, and are targeting me, not the King!_

Alice suddenly shoved herself into the arms of one of the Guards as the two assassins looked in their direction. Keep up her disguise, she pretended to be overpowered, as she closed her eyes. "Luka!" she screamed out, getting his attention.

"Lady, are you crazy? Those thing will rip you apart!"

"Somebody help that boy! They are going to kill him!"

"With what, these creatures just tore through everyone that intervened! We have to get the King and nobles to safety while we can!" One of the assassin barked out something in their chittering and high-pitched language, and his partner broke away from the fight to run after the King and his entourage, though Alice realized it was looking at her specifically.

"Too late! They saw us, and one is coming this way!" Before Luka covered his eyes, Alice opened them, and them made a white glow that was faint enough to not be seen, since everyone else was focused on the Skaven running towards them. The Skaven however, seemed to guess what she was doing, and closed their eyes just before she opened hers.

[Alice casts Eyes of Hypnosis!] Lukas' eyes proceeded to go blank, and when the Skaven assassin he was fighting noticed him going limp, the Rat Man tried to leap at him, only for Luka to almost dance aside while dodging with a much faster speed that belied his small frame. The Skaven snarled and screamed in rage, which soon turned to panic as it noticed that Luka was also attacking faster and faster. Meanwhile, the Skaven assassin that tried to attack Alice saw this, and stared in visible confusion, allowing several archers to loose their arrows into its back. Squealing, the Skaven assassin turned around to look at them, grabbing onto the hunched back it had as its beady red eyes were filled with hate. A second volley was released, but this time the assassin proceed to deflect or cut them in mid-air, leaving a number of broken shafts at its feet. The Skaven proceeded to attack, screaming in rage as it jumped up into the air and dived towards them.

However, someone chanted out something, and the Skaven could only widen its eyes in shock and horror as a spike of ice was at it, impaling the assassin into the wall, as Luka was suddenly awakened as Alice quickly removed the effects before anyone noticed. While the spike in question was small, and not cleanly formed, it enough to collapse a lung at least, as well as pin the Skaven, who cried out in pain and anger. Its partner saw this, and turned to see who the new attacker was, and noticed that it was a man in a typical green fantasy wizards' robe, complete with black pointy hat, orange cape and a wooden staff, now covered in ice. Squealing in terror, the Skaven tried to run, much to the shock of those still watching the fight between it and Luka. However, Luka was able to Angel Halo once more, and slashed it, sealing the squealing Rat Man before it could get away. As it ran, Luka proceeded to chase after the Skaven, grabbing and then lifting by the tail. It then start to chitter and squeak, whilst the mage in question, who was revealed to be a woman with blonde hair and pink eyes walked to him.

"Oh, hello there. Nice to meet ya!" she said with a cheerfulness that ignored the devastation around it. "I'm Alicetroema, a traveling Mage and currently employed by the San Ilias King to help deal with these Rat Men. What's your name?" Luka back at the impaled assassin Skaven, then back at the Mage, not noticing the brief glance that was exchanged between her and Alice.

"Oh, um, Luka. I happened to been requested by the King to escort a Mage he wanted to investigate a possibly haunted mansion." Luka explained as the Wizard turned, noticing something.

"Huh, I sense more of the creatures on their way... I suppose we'll have to defend the Castle while we converse. As for the haunted mansion, I'm not the one you're looking for, but was meant to investigate some disappearances." the woman replied, readying herself with another spell as a number of servants were seen running away. "Because we got more incoming of... whatever these Monsters are." Luka then realized Alice and the King were gone, and turned to look for them.

"Alice?! Your Majesty!?" he called out. He was not necessarily concerned that something could happen to them, but more Alice being forced to reveal herself, and causing further panic as a result.

"Hey, don't worry, they'll be fine..." Alicetroema said. "I'm not the only one who answered the call to reinforce the city." she then pulled out a bag, and opened it after casting a fire ball into a cluster of Skaven that were running towards them. "I have a feeling these creatures should be studied, so mind being a dear and putting the rat in here? Don't worry, its enchanted to not let it chew its way out."

* * *

**POV SHIFT**

* * *

As the King of San Ilias and Alice were dragged away from the immediate fighting, the guards would occasionally run into small groups of random Skaven running through the castle. The Lamia Lord could easily used her magic to just teleport out to make that usually powerful Monster in disguise didn't try anything, but with the fighting becoming intense by the minute between these intruders and the castle guard, Alice was constantly being watched over by the escort. Right now, they were running through the library, which she realized with a shock that more of the Skaven somehow got inside, and paused upon seeing the Humans and Monster Lord burst in while they were grabbing books from the shelves. Upon glancing one, many of them carried sacks which bulged with the ones they had already loaded up on.

"The library! There must be some tome or scroll they want! Stop these Monsters from taking it!" the King yelled. Alice was thinking the same thing, as she ran alongside the guards, joining them as they let out a war cry. Thankfully, none of these Skaven had guards, so they likely thought they were protected by lieu of distraction. Unfortunately for them, Alice sensed they had nothing to protect them, as they pushed and shoved each other in an attempt to get away, shrieking in terror.

"MINE!MINE!MINE!MINE!MINE!MINE!" they all began to squeal as they ran for a tunnel in the center, along with the occasional curse, or cries of "OUT-OUT OF MY WAY-PATH!" and "MY PAPER-THINGS!" while the smell of urine quickly reached her nose, accompanied by conspicuous yellow fluids between squirted onto the ground as they ran away in a tide of vermin and and burlap sacks. Alice was able to cast an ice spell that blocked it off without anyone seeing her channeling her magic, preventing them from escaping. Upon seeing them fall further into chaos and being butchered so easily by the Humans who managed to circle around them Alice began cringing inwardly in disgust.

_I don't know what's worse, the fact these pathetic creatures are going to be viewed as my servants, their terrible tactics and coordination compounded with complete and utter cowardice and incompetence, or the fact I can't go all out on these beasts... _the Monster Lord thought, as one of the guards staying with the King cried out to.

"Lady, get back here you might get hurt!" he shouted, Alice grabbed a Skaven by the tail as it tried to climb a book shelf, and jerking back with enough force to pull it screaming off it, and kicked it into the ground with an audible crack, then made a stance resembling that of a martial artist. While his concern would be true for a normal Human woman, she was not Human, and the Skaven were uncoordinated and terrified, and thus most were at this point making a pitiful display of themselves of trying to fight some by Human-standards moderately armed and armored soldiers with either swinging their sacks wildly and uncontrollably, leading to many hitting themselves upon missing, or throwing books at them, which only annoyed the Humans more then it did injure them. Some of the Skaven were slightly smarter, choosing to break various object in the room such as chair and table legs to use them as improvised weapons instead, though this comically failed as well.

Next to her a guard looked over at her after smashing a Skaven in the face with the pommel of his sword. "Where did they teach you that martial art, and what style is it?"

"DIE-DIE!" A Skaven yelled, as a book bounced off his attention. As he turned, a suspicious brown substance suddenly hit him in the face. Alice then struck the Skaven in the throat as it leaped to bite his throat, while the guard wiped off the substance with his sleeve in disgust.

"GAH! RETCHED BEAST, I'LL PURGE YOU! FOR ILIAS!" with that, the castle guardsman in arms ran at the offender, who squeaked in terror before he ran it through the stomach. Afterwards, he looked at his soiled sleeve, and cringed. "Urgh, this is going to a pain to wash off..." Alice scanned the room, ignoring the fight entirely, and then noticed one of the Skaven had managed to get out of the fighting, carrying the sack one handed as he climbed for his life. Upon seeing this, she placed a foot under a broken chair leg, and kicked it up high enough to grab it in the air. She was using her free arm to aim, when she heard a scream from behind her, and quickly slapped the Skaven that tried to sneak attack her in the jaw. The Skavens' head jerked to the side, and its lifeless body fell over. She then heard a whistle, and turned to see the guard that was with her.

"Damn, remind me not to piss you off." Alice smiled slightly, then pointed at the Skaven that was climbing the wall. He followed her finger, and stared at it trying desperately to break a glass window in the ceiling to get out by headbutting it. "Huh, think these are Monster rejects or something? They are weak as hell, can't fight for squat, and apparently are dumb as hell." Alice had to mentally restrained herself from immediately disintegrating the Human soldier, instead shrugging in reply.

_Calm down Alipheese, you are a traveling gourmet and martial artist in his eyes, and Skaven are not Monsters... _with that, she watched as the Skaven trying to escape, now squealing in rage, reared back the sack it was carrying, and swung it at the window. Alice, due to her natural ability to sense magic, then felt something use Light Magic to enchant the window for a split-second before impact, causing the bag to bounce back and hit the Skaven in the torso. Having lost his balance, the Skaven screamed in terror as he fell headfirst onto the ground, and stopped moving. _...refer to exhibit A. _Alice then remembered that she and Luka were looking for the Four Animists and their Sources, a book which would give the history of the Four Spirits, including their locations. That, and the fact she had three guardians to fight off any who found, to prevent any potentially dangerous Heroes to use the Spirits to help Ilias exterminate the Monsters. Luka, since he was clearly enamored with spreading peace, was made an exception as a result in her mind, provided he defeated the guardians.

"Hey, are you alright? Your face is red?" Alice snapped to reality, and realized she indeed blushed upon thinking of Luka.

"Aahh... no, no I'm fine." the embarrassed Monster said, her face flushing to its normal coloring.

"Then don't get distracted in battle." Alice was about to point out the guard was doing just that, when he swung and knocked out a Skaven with a reverse hay maker. As he was about to go back into the fray, he noticed something, and his widened. As Alice turned to see what it was, she was surprise with an immediate push that shoved her out of the Humans way, and a kunai stuck into his head, the knife stabbing into one of his eyes, killing the castle guard. Alice turned to see where the attacker threw it from, and saw they weren't there. However, as she looked to see how the San Ilias King was doing and saw he was behind a shield wall which formed around him, she raised the chair leg without looking behind her, and heard a thunk as another kunai embedded itself into the wood. She then whipped her head around, and saw another, fourth assassin rat hissing at her, before rapidly sailing around from book shelf to another as he rushed her.

_So they were after me and Luka. They must've learned who I am somehow. _Alice thought, pulling the small knife out of the chair leg, and prepared as her would-be assassin charged her.

* * *

**POV SHIFT**

* * *

As Luka fought one of the Rat Men who was attacking him with a sword it picked up from a dead guard, he pushed while angling Angel Halo, causing the creature to fall forwards as he slashed where its' throat was. Alicetroemea was behind him, and blasting away with wild abandon as she burned down several of the creatures with contemptuous ease while breathing fire out of her mouth. As she did so, several Skaven screamed and recoiled in terror and pain, running around the castle trying to put themselves out as Luka turned to her.

"What are you doing!? Are you trying to burn down the castle?!"

"Oh hush now!" the Wizard cried out, laughing as she side-stepped a Skaven soldier, and whacked it in the head with her staff. "I'm the one thing standing between you and being gang-banged right now by the horde. Besides, the calvary has arrived, so it would be best to get behind me." with that, Luka turned and saw she was making a barrier, and that a group of archers were firing on the Skaven around them, while a number of soldiers blocked off an attempt by the Skaven to strike back. To make sure he did not get hit by any stray arrows, Luka did so, and was surprised as Alicetroemea wrapped around him and kneeled down on one leg while holding her arm up, which allowed her to reduce its size. Luka flinched from how deceptively strong she grabbed onto him, and how fast she had moved, causing him to flashback to his experiences with Alice.

"Gah! Let go of me!" he cried out, struggling in shock and panic. Alicetroemea looked at him in confusion, and seemed to be genuinely confused.

"What's wrong?"

"Can't... breathe!" Luka gasped, as her arm wrapped around his diaphragm.

"Oh! Uh, sorry..." with that, she loosened her grip enough to allow Luka to get out. "I was making us smaller." she explained, pointing to the barrier, and the fighting going on around it. "We should probably get out of here and find the King though."

"INCOMING REINFORCEMENTS!" someone shouted, when an armored Skaven suddenly plowed though the crowd of bodies before it. This was like the armored Skaven, but was bigger, reaching at least to the height of a normal man in size despite his hunched stature, and dual-wielded two swords of clearly non-Skaven design. Worse was the rack on the back of his armor, which had a number of what looked like Human skulls, along with distinctly non-Human ones as well. Behind it, a number of the armored Skaven, with similar dual-wielded weapons as they tore through the castle guard.

"Burn-burn them all-all! Kill-slay for the Horned Rat!" it screamed in rage. The Skaven leader then ran through a soldier as he tried to attack it with an ax with one of the swords, and threw the other at Luka and Alicetroemea. When it bounced off, it snarled in anger, as a glowing green amulet hung around his neck made its presence known. When the Wizard launched a blast of magic energy at it, only for the bolt she casted to be deflect by a personal shield of some kind, and into another Skaven that was unlucky to be hit by it.

"What?!" the woman muttered in shock, as the Skaven raid leader laughed.

"Fool-fool Man-Thing! I, Screech Sword Tail am unstop-stoppable! Your magic will never get through my Warpstone Shield!" with that, he then ran towards the two fighters, laughing insanely, when the Wizard wrapped her arm around Luka again, and teleported the both of them away at the last second into the formation the castle guard were making. Luka then looked at Alicetroemea.

"Why didn't you do that to begin with?" he asked.

"Takes a few moment to charge when it is more then just one person. That, and I can't go as far." the Wizard explained, as the archers loosed another volley at the charging Skaven, and she focused on the leader of the horde of Rat Men, as the arrows were deflected by the amulet and into any unwitting Skaven unlucky enough to be behind him, though the armor of its bodyguards seemed to mostly protect them. Even so, one here or there would drop from an arrow hitting them in the leg, were their companions ran over it as the Skaven screamed, or in the eye and thus died before hitting the ground in a rather grim form of ironic luck. The main casulties from the ranged attack came from the malnourished and terrified slave rats that were being run ahead of them, making a living wall of shields to protect the elite ones. Alicetroemea visibly cringed her nose at the Skaven, disturbed just like Luka and the Humans that saw how brazenly the Skaven were treating their own kind.

"Not even I encouraged such callousness during my reign..." the Wizard muttered to herself, as Luka looked at her, Angel Halo raised up in a ready position.

"What?"

"Nothing, focus on the Rat Men." Alicetroemea said, as she began channeling some form of magic. "I'm going to bust through this shield, but I'll need some time to do it." with that, Luka raised an eyebrow in suspicion, but looked back anyway when the whizzing of arrows followed a shout to loose them by the archer commander.

As the Skaven ranks dropped, more trampled the dead before them, screaming in rage. Suddenly, several beams of light descended down upon them, and blew apart several Skaven just as both sides were about to clash. Before both sides could process what was going on, several shapes zipped in and out of the Skaven army, slashing and cutting down the Rat Men as they tried to figure out what was happening. Screech made a enraged scream.

"No-no! Fight back-back you fool-fools! Kill-stab these Things and stop scurry-scurrying away-way!" he yelled, when one of the newcomers, a women with wings and hair that could only be one of Ilias' famous Valkyries dressed in a suit of armor tried to attack him from behind. Screech spun around, swinging his sword which hit her in the torso, flinging her away back to the Humans, who rallied themselves around her. "No Thing will stab-stab the future ruler of Skavenblight!" he raged, eyes narrowing with hatred. "Especially some Man-Breeder Thing like you!" the Valkyrie in question then got up, and cracked her neck.

"Oh really?" she asked, when an arrow flew down, only to be deflected away by the barrier. "Damn!" she shouted, as the Cupid that loosed it flew off to try and avoid any retaliation that might come from somewhere unseen.

"NO-NO- NONONONONOOO!" the Skaven war leader screamed, practically convulsing with anger, as the entire force of Humans and Valkyrie braced themselve. "YOU'LL ALL DIE-DIE! YOU, THE MAN-THINGS, EVEN THAT SNAKE-BREEDER THING! I'LL KILL-KILL YOU ALL!" With that, he pulled out a dirk made of green stone. "FOR THE HORNED RAT!" he screamed, suddenly stabbing himself in the throat, causing blood to spray out from the wound. The people looking at him flinched, and one of the Skaven that was still alive from the sudden Angel attack cried out.

"The War-Lord! He is about to turn-turn!"

"Run! Flee!" another screamed, as the Skaven began to clamber away, when Screech fell over onto the ground on all fours, and let out an unnatural bellow that echoed throughout the hall. Alice then ran over to the group of Humans and Angels, covered in blood and carrying a book under her arm.

* * *

***BGM ENDS***

* * *

"Alright, what's going on... what did I miss" she asked, looking at the Valkyrie and her Angel subordinates, as a slight tension filled the air. While the War Lord howled while his armor began to split, the Valkyrie stepped forwards, while Luka started to sweat nervously.

"Well, we have determined these Rat Men are not from our world, and decided to intervene. Since we have learned they are not Monsters, we have been going about targeting particular areas that are likely hot zones for Skaven activity, and purging them, preferably without the Monster Lord noticing, since we would prefer not to have any... miscomunications to happen." the Valkyrie said. "By the by, we should likely discuss this later." the Angel added, pointing her sword at Screech when the sound of ripping flesh was heard. "BY ILIAS! WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!"

"What's what- OH BY THE CROWN! MY EYES!" a guard that was looking at them said upon seeing Screech. He had turned into some form of mutant beast, which caused the entire group to recoil in disgust at its horrific form. With gangly limbs which pulsated and shift ed as the flesh crawled in disgusting manners across its surface, the Skaven... thing glared at them with a many-eye rat skull, and screamed as he launched his oversized body at them, which was more elongated tube of bone then torso. As the various men panic to fall over and scream in terror, Alicetroemea chuckled.

"Done!" she said in a cheerful tone, firing a large column of energy at the creature. TheValkyrie, other Angels, and with a slight shift of her finger, Alice then vaporized it with a storm of pure magical energy, causing it to be blown back through a wall, which collapsed on top of it. When the dust cleared, they saw that the beast had collapsed on itself, as though it couldn't support its weight.

"Now then, that's that." the Valkyrie said. "Even if we all just got scarred for life. I hope not. We'll take over from here boys, we'll hunt what remains of these vermin within the holy city of San Ilias." with that, she walked away, but not before looking at Luka. "Hope you do well in your quest, Heaven is counting on you." Luka fidgeted in place, while Alice noted the glance they gave her.

With a sigh, Alice placed a hand on Lukas' shoulder. "Hey, want to find a place to read this and find out where the Four Spirts are? The Library was trashed by another group of Skaven we already took care of."

"Sure. As long as there isn't any more surprises." Alice smiled, as she made sure that the guardians would not attack Luka. "Will there be?" he asked, noticing it.

"Oh uh, no. I had several Monsters enchanted to protect the contents within, but I made sure they won't bother you."

* * *

**POV SHIFT**

* * *

Out in the Warp, where the Horned Rat dwelled within that swirling miasma known as the Realm of Chaos, the Rat-God of the Skaven watched as the Man-Things and Monster-Things parted ways in San Ilias, and screamed in anger and hate as several green bolts fired from his mouth. Many of the mortals, particularly the more powerful Monster-Things like the Fox Thing throughout this new world recoiled, feeling as though something was wrong, but couldn't place what. His First Vermintide to establish a foothold in this world had been blockaded, dashed by the Daemon-Thing which ruled the ground destroying and scattering his forces that tried to go to Sabasa and the areas surrounding it, while the mortals that were at Ubersreik entered the Forest destroyed the Skittergate his Warplock Engineers made in a haste to bring in reinforcements as was necessary. He began to lash out at a Daemon, one not aligned to the other Gods, ripping the screaming thing to shreds as the Warp shuddered and writhed with the powers being unleashed.

Instead of conquering the world however, his stupid and foolish Skaven worshippers were slaughtered. His plan, made from decades in the Warp as its denizens understood time fell apart in mere days as they bumbled about like drunken cows off a cliff. Thus he ripped their screaming souls apart as they died, making them experience an eternity of suffering before they were consumed. They were incompetent creatures, who could not do a single thing correctly, and thus deserved far worse. Worse however, was the fact the inferior Gods of the Empire Man-Things were cooperating with the Ilias God-Thing, ensuring he didn't intervene without the risk of being attacked by them directly, or at least invade the realm of the Things called Angels.

Either way, he was going to have to make a new plot, a new scheme to destroy them. It was then, he sensed someone, or something calling to him. As the Horned Rat gazed upon the mortal realm, he realized that some Man-Breeder-Thing had the gall to call out to him. At first he was going to destroy it, when he realized that she was doing under the guidance of a servant of the Chaos God of Plots and Ambition.

"_**Oh my, it appears that our ratty cousin is having some problems with his servants." **_he heard it say, and snarled in rage. Tzeentch was always one to prod and poke at the Horned Rat, knowing that he wouldn't dare attack it. At least, not when they had a chance to fight back.

"_**BEGONE CHANGELING-THING!" **_the Horned Rat snarled. **_"I have no time-time to entertain you, nor your plot-schemes."_**

"_**Ah, is that really how you want to be? As it happens, I'm calling for a counsel, for you're not the only one who is having problems as it stands with this world." **_Tzeentch explained, his words honeyed to the Horned Rat. **_"As it stands, at this rate even my more angry and most short-sighted counterpart Khorne can already see where things will go. The Half-Angel has resisted the direct attempts at corruption from not one, but two of us, and has soundly defeated your weak Skaven warriors. At this point, we are even willing to let you join us and we can pool our resources together. Especially given the actions of the Elven Crone and her intervention with the Succubi Lord."_**

"_**No. I have no need-need for you or the others Changeling-Thing. I am the truest master of Chaos itself, and will rule-rule as the single Rat-God of the Warp. Whatever happens in the material realms, I will be its rule-ruler in the end-end."**_

"_**HA! With what, a broken carcass of your 'master race' that is currently being beaten by these?" **_Tzeentch said, as the two Gods of the Warp examined a Nekomata chasing a Human Man. As she was about to catch them, the creature suddenly stopped, her fur bristling as the cat-beast side of her felt something watching her. As the Human turned around, he saw how the cat-Monster was looking about, her ears perked and nose twitching. He was unaware what was happening, but took advantage of the situation to flee, as the Monster ran the other way, her instincts telling her to run, to get away from this presence that was looming over her. Tzeentch chuckled as the Monster clearly was unable to comprehend what was following it as the Horned Rat grew ever more annoyed. After a moment passed, the Nekomata was allowed to escape, while the Horned Rat replied.

"_**Fine, I'll humor-amuse you this once-once and join your counsel to plot-scheme. In the meantime, what shall we do with this mortal of yours?"**_

"_**I'll speak with her. Now that you mention it, why don't we have your little Gray Seer fall back for now? He'll play a part in our plans yet."**_

The Horned Rat snorted. _**"No, I'll also listen-hear what this Man-Thing has to say..."**_

* * *

**POV SHIFT**

* * *

As Ilias Kruez traveled down the last stretch of road to Witch Hunt Village, Krieg was nursing her nose and eyes, when a sudden shout was heard by Sienna Fuegonasus was heard crying out something. As Krieg and Emile looked down the road along with the others in their wagon, a rider was seen running down the convoy a few minutes later, saying something to each the wagon drivers, with each one speeding down the road later.

"What's going on?" the driver of Krieg and companies' wagon asked, as the runner slowed down to explain.

"The Bright Wizard Sienna has claimed she is sensing a large amount of death and destruction in Witch Hunt Village, and that we must make haste at once! She has also claimed that if we don't hurray, what survivors at Witch Hunt remain will die!" with that, he moved to the next wagon. Krieg and Emile looked at each other in shock, while the rest of the people in the wagon began to murmur amongst themselves.

"What is happening?"

"That one woman from the other world sensed that Witch Hunt has been attacked!"

"By Ilias!"

"Everyone calm down." Emile said, adjusting his glasses. "We have the other worlders to help us now, and with their support we can defeat whatever Monster comes our way. The Wolf Pack is evidence of that." as the members of Ilias Kruez heard him, they listened closely. "Remember how it felt to fight alongside the Warrior Priest of Sigmar, and how much his words kept us from falling into despair and panic, while causing them to recoil in fear. With fellow protectors of Humanity like him alongside us, we can fight back against anything!" One of the other Ilias Kruez members chuckled.

"You know, with words like that, you already sound like a Priest of Sigmar." the wagon was then filled with chuckling, as they all had a laugh about the various prayers and sermons Ulboro had on the way, many about fighting for their fellow Humans and aiding some race called Dwarves, of whom Bardin talked about at great length. Kerillian in the meantime, kept to herself while she went ahead to scout ahead of the caravan, and occasionally one would cross signs of a struggle where the Wood Elf fought off a Monster that was on the road.

"Ha! That'll be the day when pigs fly!" Krieg bellowed. "Emile may be a good writer and quartermaster, but a warrior he is not!" Emile flustered, then sighed as he conceded the point. He was relegated to making sure everything Ilias Kruez had in supplies and equipment was taken care of and maintained when he had an accident that involved a blunted training sword, a training dummy, and too much ale that resulted in Lazarus being rather cross with the usually shy man upon finding out what had happened. If it weren't for Emile later organizing the weapons of the rest of the group later on after he got sent back to take care of their equipment, he likely would've been kicked out.

As they began to reach the final stretches of Witch Hunt however, the plume of smoke caused a grim atmosphere to settle in their shocked hearts and the caravan as a whole. By the time they got there, the fire that caused it had been put out, but the sounds of battle could be heard in the remains of the village, accompanied by the signature moans that followed Monster activity. "Sonunava- everyone to arms!" Lazarus shouted. "The problem is worse than I thought!"

With that, Krieg and the men and women of Illias Kruez could be heard clamoring out of the wagon, while Emile and the other non-combatants handled out potions and other supplies, running to and fro to avoid being grabbed. As they ran to the village, the group of Humans stopped, clearly shocked and awed by the sight they saw.

A number of tentacled creatures could be seen, with the limbs of Humans they were consuming being the only thing visible of their victims. Even so, they were more shocked at seeing what were clearly fellow Humans, women in fact, that were mutated by some dark power attacking their own friends and family with tentacles of their own, which often resembled worms and other similar writhing things. This particular raiding and violation of the inhabitants was taking place in a burned out ruin of the village, which was still burning in some areas. Even so, one of the Witch Hunters shouted something, and began to fire upon them, injuring several of the mutants. As the other worlders charged, one of them of could be seen turning towards them.

"Who the hell are you?" she asked, only to greeted with a hammer to her face in response when Ulboro charged at her with a speed that she could only flinch at. Stunned by this first blow and reeling from her face being half shattered, she was then punched hard enough that a loud crack accompanied her head being bent backwards as blood spewed from her skin and skull being ripped open. With that, another one of the mutants tried to fight back against the Sigmarite Warrior Priest.

"DEATH TO THE MUTANT, THE HERETIC, AND THE DAEMON!" Ulboro raged, grabbing a tentacle that tried to slap him, and pulling it hard. The village woman it was attached to was then yanked forwards, falling at his feet as he raised his armored leg.

"What are you doing?!" Lazarus cried out, as the Sigmarite stomped on their head, pulping it with an unnatural strength. The Monsterized women, along with the the still unmutated and corrupted villagers paused what they were doing as they saw him crush the creature. Many of the members of Iliaz Kruez were shocked and horrified as well, as the other worlders rushed in to attack their quarry. One of the mutants, upon seeing Bardin running towards her bellowing in rage, tried to back away from the pure look of hate he had on his face, tripping on a broken beam. The Dwarf dodged her attempt to grapple him with one tentacle as she got up, and cut a second and third one when she tried again. "Oh bloody hell, stop them, we need to know what is going on!" Lazarus yelled.

"Isn't it obvious?" Kerrilian asked, causing the group of fighters to pause, finding her aiming her bow and arrow while perched on a wagon. "The Mayor has been experimenting with Dark Magic. These women are corrupted by the same kind of power that birthed the Skaven, and thus must be purged before their taint spreads." The Waywatcher loosed her arrow, and one of the corrupted women fell as it stuck into her ear, and out the other. By the time she dropped to the ground fully, the Wood Elf loosed six more arrows, each one finding their mark as just as many of the creatures fell dead.

"Are you mad?! They might be able to recover their minds, if we can find the Mayor and slay her!" Krieg tried to counter. With that, Kruber shouted something about Sigmar, as his great sword cleaved one of the pulsating tentacle monsters in half, the two halves splitting open. Blood drenched the State Trooper, as he stabbed into it with his sword, and pulled up his handgun in a firing motion with one swift motion, and shot another one as it turned to him. "We can't do that if they're all dead!" With that, Kerillian looked at Krieg.

"Listen here mayfly, that kind of mentally is what results in you getting slaughtered by Chaos. They may not have asked for this fate, but we cannot allow them to leave this area alive! And right now, you're the only thing standing between the Witch that made them into abominations, and the rest of the continent." Kerillian explained, pointing at the manor, which was glowing a number of unnatural colors as some form of magic was affecting it. As the other who were from her world got pushed back trying to avoid being attacked, Victor cried out something. Lazarus looked at the villagers that remained, then replied as he turned back to Kerillian.

"Alright, we'll be getting the remaining villagers out of here. You and your group can help fight the corrupted women."

"Lazarus, they will kill them all!" Krieg yelled.

"And if we continue with this discussion, there will be no one to save!" Lazarus countered. "Everybody search and rescue! Focus on saving as many of the remaining villagers as you can, and avoid the Monsterized women when possible. Let Victor and his group handle them and go after the Witch responsible for this, they know more about how to handle this stuff then we do!" with that, everyone split up, running throughout the village to carry out his orders...

* * *

**POV SHIFT**

* * *

"I can sense that someone is interfering with my experiments..." Lily said, feeling distortions within the Warp. She had nearly been overwhelmed by the pure amount of power that was pouring from the Immaterial Realm, the tides of magic that was released by the ritual she and her new master were performing, requiring the sacrifice of one of the men she had just captured. Now that Lily had quickly become accustomed to the Warp, she was awaiting for one of the Dark Gods to come forth to answer her call, and see if she was worthy. To ensure that the portal was kept open, she released her experiments to keep it open through their consuming the local populace so that the old mans' master would come to Lily.

"Pay them no mind. By the time they kill enough of them to affect the portal, we will be gone." the Sorcerer said, as he smiled widely. On cue, the Changer of Ways appeared, causing the portal to turn into a blue hue, as a strange pink creature appeared, dressed in robes of shimmering gold and vermillion that covered its' body except for the face, which warped constantly as it spun on a slab of pink skin. This particular Daemon walked on four thin and spindly legs, which spiraled around a tall, thick oblong torso and connected to where the shoulders should be, then stabbed into the ground. The Daemon could barely fit into the room, and As Lily examined it, she was visibly confused by the creature, and the sheer presence she felt from it. From somewhere off in the village, at least two of the more magically inclined interlopers began to suffer some form of panic attack, and she herself felt as though her mind was reeling in pain just looking at this creature.

* * *

****BGM: ICON OF SIN THEMEFROM DOOM****

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"Is this the Changer?" she asked of her mentor, who did not answer, shaking instead in what seemed to be awe and dread. Lily herself was trying not to fall to her knees, though felt that the others in the village were not affected by this being, at least not in any way meaningful that she could sense. Even so, she could tell the Daemon was holding back from unveiling its true form, likely to stop her from becoming a gibbering wreck.

"_**No, I am Tzeenackamach the Speaker, and I am the voice of the one you sought, Lily of Witch Hunt Village." **_the Daemon said, its voice shifting into tones that were both capable of being mimicked by mortal tongues and not. Lily seemed suspicious, as the Daemon was clearly powerful, as the Lord of Change that with the Sorcerer clearly showed subservience to it, bowing his head while the Sorcerer looked at the creature on his shoulder. Lily however, was not amused with this.

"How about you drop the charades. With this amount of power, you could only be the God I wanted to speak." she demanded the old man flinched, as Tzeenackamach smiled evilly. Standing as its full height, while the ceiling somehow shifted.

"_**You have quite the prideful streak, thinking that you can casually order a Daemon little mortal, especially whilst resisting the urge to fall down and worship me out of fear. As it stands, I require a servant like you." **_ an arm grew out of the torso, piercing the cloth robe that draped the unholy being, and formed a talon covered hand which stuck in between the two loops it legs made. **_"For now, we are on a time table, so name your request, and I'll name my price."_**

"I intend to make a covenant with you, that you will make me a Marked servant, and in return, you will grant me my wish to see my enemies burn for their sins, and even attain immortality." Lily said, not even hesitating to reply. The Changer chuckled as he turned his hand to point at her.

"_**That confidence will serve you yet. But do not forget, that I am your true master above all else. Now, to make this pact, I require as a sacrifice, your alterations..." **_Lily paused, her eyes widening in shock.

"What?" she asked. Her experimentation was centered on developing a specific mutation in her body, which appeared as her arms turning into worm shaped tentacles. These had become her greatest weapons yet, capable of being fueled by semen as well as having the power to break bone and pulp flesh with a single blow.

"_**I want you, to by sacrifice that which you spent your entire life working to get. If you want immortality, you will be tested, and tried. Thus is my first demand: Take the mutations you have sought, and finally gained, and cast it off of your body." **_Lily was visibly frustrated.

"BUT I WORKED FOR YEARS TO EARN THEM!" she shouted at the being. "WHY WOULD I GO BACK TO BEING SO WEAK!"

"_**Do. It. Or I'll leave, having apparently had my time wasted by you."**_ several tense moments passed, and Lily snarled, and changed into her Monster form. Her arms split apart, forming into a mass of worms that writhed and twitched. With a deep breath, Lily held them out perpendicular to her body.

"I will obey." she said expressionlessly, though her eyes seethed. "These things which I sought for my own purpose, I will give freely."

"_**Good." **_with that, two more limb came out of the Dark Gods' wrist, ending in a claw for one that raise over her left shoulder, and a crab pincer on the other which grabbed her right.

"What are you-" With a split second, the claw came down, and cut off her limbs, as the pincer chopped through her right tentacles without pause. Lily shrieked in pain, as blood spewed from her open wounds, but she refused to fall over as she knelt in pain.. As her blood dribbled onto the ritual circle carved on her floor, Lily looked up, and watched as the Changer touched her stumps with two normal hands. "What are you doing?"

_**"Now, to confer upon you, my own gift... one I will use to Mark you as my servant." **_As Lily whinced and gasped as several bolts of energy flowed into her from her open wounds, her eyes began to glow. _**"Arise, and leave this place, for my brethren and I have others who you are required to gather together with, and formulate whether to decide an Everchosen for this world... or summon him from another."**_

* * *

**Authors Note: I decided to change the ending a bit after I uploaded this chapter. Originally I was going to kill off Lily, then decided against it instead as it felt a bit too sudden and rushed after the fact. So I chose to have Tzeentch grant a mutation. This was also because of bucarcar pointing out the Monsters getting ROFL-stomped by the Warhammer characters made them look non-threatening. I was a bit split since on the one hand, they facing Balthasar Gelt, and the whole can of worms his being in the world opens up. On the other, they were basically near unstoppable wrecking balls in their own setting, and thus I saw the point he was making. So with that, we are back in the timeline where the Dark Goddess won, and her Ancestor lords reaction to Settra going into RIP AND TEAR mode.**

* * *

Tamano no Mae the Kitsune Lord stared in disbelief, the pen cap in her mouth dropping out and clattering on the floor as a screen with a rainbow of colors on top a black line was all she and her sisters watching the broadcast were greeted with. 'Technical Difficulties are being experienced, please stand by.' were written in white letters, as the connection to the camera was cut off after one of those green men smashed. She herself was taking notes on what little they saw, being the main lead in Monster technological and magical development. They all saw the slaughter that occurred on camera, how these Undead beings practically flooded the entire desert, and overran the Monsters through sheer numbers and hate. Her sisters had also gathered to watch, ready to celebrate the coming of a new world, ripe for the taking.

When the killing began, they all stared paralyzed at the sight before them. The Undead looked like unraised corpses, and attacked both Human and non-Human alike with their weapons and armor of strange and exotic fashion. None of them issued the order to stop broadcasting, as it was a sheer disaster that they could not avert their eyes from. Even Minagi, who had two men held down for her 'feast' and Saja with her latest attempt to groom a husband stopped and watched, their children running for their lives as though Ilias herself had come back from the dead with a vengeance, while Kanon, Kanade, and Hiruko stopping eating whatever foods or drinks they had.

"What, in the hell, did we just step into?" Kanon asked. The Plant Lord shifted in her seat, and looked to her sisters. "And did whatever god they worship, if any, put us on their personal hit list for invading their territory?"

"Well, so far we have not gotten any death threats or anything like that, so maybe they are as confused as we are?" Hiruko suggested, though her voice was not confident in the slightest at the thought. "Either way, we must get those Monsters' bodies back, before they raise the dead and learn everything about us." a door opened to the room, and a Golem designed in the royal red and purple of the Dark Goddess' colors herself walked in.

"The Dark Goddess has called for a counsel of all the Queens and for you to attend. She is planning to address this new issue that has come upon us, and the failure of the First Wave." the Ancestor Lords tensed, as all knew the wrath that she unleashed upon those who harmed her children. If she was going to get personally involved, no doubt these Undead will find out soon enough. As the Golem walked out, Saja spoke up.

"I don't want our first contact to be a war. We lost too many potential lovers and mate for our daughters the last time mother personally attacked Sabasa herself, and slew Eden there." she said. "We must try to help her stay reasonable. For all we know, the Undead were only protecting themselves from something we didn't realize was also there."

"Like the Green Men?"

"Yeah! Maybe they will agree to an alliance with us against the Green Men, and also return our dead. With that, war could be averted."

* * *

_Several Hours Later, news transmission from Kitsune News Network_

* * *

"CATASTROPHE IN THE SECOND WORLD!" _the broadcast opens up with, as it shows artwork of the Monster Army being slain, while dramatic music played. _"The savage natives of the Second World have barbarically attacked the daughters of the Dark Goddess, refusing to even open diplomatic ties to speak with us! The Dark Goddess herself has assembled a new team, one of brave volunteers to give these creatures, both Undead, and the newly discovered race dubbed the Green Men an ultimatum." _the camera shows the Dark Goddess Alipheese Fateburn herself. The sire and creator of the Monsters slams down her fist on a podium, and begins to cry out, several tentacles quivering in rage, while her other hand grips down on it hard enough to bend the material the podium was made from. Several of the Six Ancestors, notably Saja and Tamano were nervous, as she proceeds to shout, while an audience made up of the Monster Queens and their retinues are sitting in a semicircle amphitheater._

"These murderers dare to defile our civilization, and butchered our brave explorers and pioneers without a second thought or word! I hereby declare the moving forward of the Second Wave!" _camera shows a legion of Monsters, marching through a portal as the Dark Goddess continues her rant. _"They will move forth as my fist, to strike them down before they can find our world, and ensure that justice will come for our fallen! We will ensure that Monster civilization, not Second Worlder, prevails!" _the audience is shown clapping and cheering, as the video shows the Second Wave gathering together in the desert they lost their comrades in the First Wave in the army stretching all the way to the horizon. _"FOR OUR FALLEN!" _they shout as one, which was repeated by the Queens and their retinues in the background, as the army marches forth to take the battle to their new enemy..._


	29. Chapter 29

**Vermin Tide Quest**

* * *

Chapter 29

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As Alice and Luka made their way to the Haunted Mansion along with the court mage, a red-headed man by the name of Samuel and his retinue, the three were exchanging small conversation, until they came across the Mansion itself.

"By Ilias!" Samuel exclaimed upon seeing the ruins that were in its place, as his escort took up positions to watch the clearing around them for any sign of the intruders that did this. Alice and Luka in the meantime watched as Samuel looked at the ruins, and Alice noticed that Luka was sweating slightly. As the Lamia leaned over him to whisper in his ear, she could see his breath was ragged, and that the area felt, _tainted_ for lack of a better word, and seemed to have a similar effect on the Humans around them, though Luka was more affected by it.

"Is something wrong?" Alice asked.

"It must be Chaos, I can _feel_ it." Luka replied, much to Alices' surprise. She could hear a hint of dread in the boys' voice, and saw that the hairs on the back of his neck were standing up. Angel Halo seemed to be affected by it as well, as it made a subtle groan only Alice could hear. "I can see sort of black energy, stuck in the ground and ruins, and infecting it. I only felt this kind of feeling back when that Crab Girl was infected by one of those Plague Demons. But it is different." Alice then looked around at the other Humans around them, and saw that none of their group overheard him. She then placed a hand on Lukas' shoulders, and continued to whisper to him.

"Alright, Luka." when the boy turned to her, a look of nervousness in his eyes that reflected her face, she continued. "Remember that I said I would not intervene in any fight between you and other Monsters? Well, I will get involved in anything that involves Chaos, since whatever force is behind it clearly intends ill-will towards us all, be it Monster, Human, and maybe even Angel. So, I want you to calm down, and breathe slowly." Alice proceeded to watch over Luka, as he meditated until he calm down, and Alice could feel a faint surge of magic flow through him, until he collected himself. "I'm never going to get used to that."

"Huh?" Luka asked, as a crashing sound could heard as Samuel used a levitation spell to lift some rubble to clear an entrance to the basement of the destroyed mansion.

"Nothing." Alice said, as she and Luka watched him going down with a torch, while one of his escort soldiers followed him down and into the basement.

"I found something!" Samuel cried out from within a few seconds later. "It appears that a necromancer was here, and may have had an accident in their lab that burned everything." Alices' mouth twitched, as she tensed up and got close to Luka. "Wait, what is that?" Samuel asked, likely speaking to his guard. "Ma'am, are you- AAARRGH!" he screamed, as a roar of rage was heard from within, followed by an exclamation of horror.

"WHAT IN THE HELL, YOU MURDERER! BURN IN THE NAME-" Suddenly the man cried in pain, as a chopping sound was heard. Then, a beast-like cry of hate and hunger was heard OH GOD, GOD NO-" Alice practically jumped in shock, while the other man screamed in terror, while the rest of the escort drew their weapons, hearing the sound of something mauling their comrade.

"Samuel!" someone screamed. "We got to help them!" with that, Luka and the others ran in with their weapons drawn, while Alice shook in fear, noticed only by Luka as he ran back to the Lamia and grabbed her by the wrist.

"Come on! You said that you would get involved if I found something related to Chaos!" he said, tugging her with a surprising amount of force, snapping the Monster Lord into reality and shock that Luka could actually pull her.

"Wai- WAH!" the other guards could be heard fighting the thing downstairs, which snarled and screeched in anger. As Luka and Alice entered the room, they paused at the sight of the thing before them. To Alice, it was looked like one of the Vampires that resided in their castle hidden in the mountains of Sentoria due its fangs, but with clawed and bloody hands as well as having no skin, showing its red sinews and muscles atop of pearl white bone while being almost too big to fit in the room. It also was dressed in furs, with skulls arranged in a necklace in a grim display. Two dark gray and blue eyes stared with clear hatred at the Humans before it, who had formed a semi-circle around it, the space cramped as it was by the wreckage of a laboratory that they somehow surrounded its' bulky body, and Luka saw Samuel on the ground, his chest slashed opened by something else other then claws, while the guard that was with him was ripped open to his and Alices' shock at the level of brutal violence it unleashed. As they looked, Alice sensed something, and turned to see a horned woman with pale blue skin had suddenly jumped out of the shadows to attack Luka from behind with a giant cleaver, her eyes glowing with the same rage as she raised it.

"Luka!" Alice shouted, as she intercepted the blade with her arm, which slammed with an impact that made her grit her teeth from the pain of it biting into her arm as she braced and took it full force. As the Human boy jumped back from it, she dragged it down, and Alice screamed as her arm was slashed. The woman also turned her attention to Alice, staring blankly as the Lamia realized she recognized her attacker.

"Shirome!?" at the sound of the name Alice said, the Monster jerked, then growled as her face turned into a grimace of rage showing a similar set of fangs as the Vampire that was reeling back to swipe at them. Luka then shouted to the guards while he blocked Shiromes' attack, but was too late as the creature tore through their armor like tissue paper, flaying four of them and wounding the others.

"You murderous bastard!" Luka shouted drawing the attention of the Vampire as it glared at him. "What do you do to this place?" the creature simply growled, as it crawled towards him on all fours, intent on ripping his flesh and blood body, moving with a speed that belied its large form. However, as he brandished Angel Halo, it screeched and reared back at the sword, which suddenly glowed a holy light as the Vampire covered its eyes. Shirome had a similar reaction to the glow, recoiling as though she was being shocked by a lighting bolt of Ilias' holy wrath. Taking advantage of this, Alice grabbed Luka by the wrist.

"Come on, we got to warn the King!" she shouted, as Luka was pulled along with her. The screams of the guards who were still alive could be heard alongside the sound of the two Vampires tearing them apart, to which Alice stopped when they reached the exit, and began to channel a spell. With her eyes glowing, she then proceeded to create a ball of fire. "I'm sorry." she muttered, as Luka realized what was happening.

"Alice no!" the Monster immediately launched the ball of fire, which exploded and collapsed the entry way. Luka stood there, with his mouth agape, as he shook. "Alice!" he stopped as he began to shout, as he saw Alice shaking while holding onto her arm. He was visibly surprised by this, as Alice was genuinely terrified of the Vampires that were in the basement, and was on the verge of hyperventilating. Paling at the thought that she the Monster Lord could feel fear, he approached her carefully. "Alice, what was it?"

"Her name was Shirome." Luka knelt to the Lamia, who now shed her illusion to reveal that she was curling up into a ball.

"Shirome? The second one right?" Alice nodded in confirmation.

"Yes. She was part of the Artiste family, an ancient line of Succubi who practiced necromancy for my family. Some centuries ago when my mother reined, she had cast them out in shame from her castle, due an accident that wounded a number of the Monsters that served as her maids, and killed one of their own. When I saw her and recognized her from a painting of the Artiste family, she looked at me with such, pure _hate_. And seeing Shirome turned into something like that, it just made me freak out, as she was the one who died in the accident." Luka watched as the Lamia shuddered as she explained this to him. When she felt a hand on her shoulder, she turned to seeing him sitting next to her. As he replied, he showed her Angel Halo.

"Well, if anything, we know that Angel Halo was able to affect them just by their being near it. They are viscous, but so far we have the time to warn the King what happened, and get Slyph to help us fight them." at that, the Monster Lord nodded. However, as she left, she noticed that she could sense that they were restless, yet Shirome and her new Vampire partner were not making any attempts to break out of the rubble...

* * *

**POV SHIFT**

* * *

Shirome could be heard growling in the darkness of the basement, cursing Promestein and Morr in every manner she could think of, while her new master, the... Strigoi Ghoul King as he called himself was not bothered by the fact they were discovered. "We need to make our way out of here, yet the sun will still be in the sky master, why are you not frightened by our situation?" She said, fingering her sisters' bone cleaver, one of her precious mementos left of Chrome, including her hat which she kept in her pocket, Chromes' left hand, and the melded brain and skull of her sister merged with her own, transplanted by her master of the necromantic arts to replace the ones that were destroyed when Promestein shot her in the head. When the strange Light beam blew it apart, she unfortunately survived, but was paralyzed in the process. She wanted to scream, and cry at the loss of her sister. Shirome had intended for Chrome to become a Seeker of Truth, even hoped one day she would restore the Artises' name. Instead, that bitch Angel slewed her in cold blood, and then _at point blank range_ missed hitting the vital parts of her brain, burying her alive without even confirming that she was killed.

No, Promestein did know she was still alive, and just wanted her to rot away with her dead sister as the Artiste screamed internally for the next decade or so it would've taken for her Zombie body to rot away into dust without being fed with semen. However, if not for a stroke of fate, she would never have been rescued by this Vampire. According to the Strigoi, he had been in the basement at the time, having been stuck in San Ilias when the Green Sky Burst happened. He was awaiting for an event like it to happen in Reikspiel, and so spent the next few days and nights laying low like he had done on his world for many thousands of years, feeding on the corpses of the graveyards to sustain himself. Shirome herself noted that this Vampire was able to do so without even Ilias noticed. After a while, he noticed the Skaven had been moving in and feeding as well, and saw the writing on the wall to seek new shelter before things went haywire. Thus, he found Chrome, who had allowed him in just the night before the Chaos Sorcerer attacked.

"Because youngblood..." the ghoulish creature said in between crunches of bone and the sounds of fresh blood being noisily lapped up from their new supply. "I have a plan to get us out of here, since those two are leaving by now. They will still need to organize their extermination squad, and if half of what you told me of this world is true, you alone could handle it."

"And if they make the connections that you and I can't enter the light of the sun like the Vampires of this world, who only get weaker?"

"We run once they crack open the entrance for us, split up to elude them, then reconvene at our agreed destination." her master said, as he turned and pointed to her. "Remember, don't engage any other Monsters, feed on anyone who is isolated..."

"...and don't get caught in daylight." Shirome said. "Care to explain the plan?"

"As it is still in the works, here's what I have down."

* * *

**POV SHIFT**

* * *

_Hours later_

* * *

As night fell, and Luka and Alice approached the remains of the Haunted Mansion, a formation of San Ilias' militia formed around them. Luka was able to explain the situation to the King there of what was happening, and that he had to go to the Fairy Forest north to acquire something to aide him in the fight against the Vampire that was there. Which was also why he could hear Slyph singing a tune in his head. One she had been singing since Luka passed her test, and making him want to scream.

_...this is the song that doesn't end!. Yes, it just goes on and on my friend! Some people started singin' it not knowing what it was, and-~_

_ALRIGHT! FINALLY, WE'RE HERE, so you can stop now! _Luka cried out mentally, as he visibly shook for a few seconds as he breathed in relief. By Ilias, he never knew what it was like to be insane, but he felt like he got a glimpse into the experience of losing ones' mind from the accursed song Slyph had been singing.

_Oh, ok... did you at least like the song? _Slyph asked, the Spirit of the Wind sounding as ditzy and cheerful as ever.

_**Nooo...**_

_Oh... oh... I'm sorry. _Slyph said, as Luka seethed. Alice looked over at him, examining his expression.

"Yeah, from what I read, Slyph can be a handful. Sorry about not warning you." Luka just held up a hand.

"No, no. It's fine, I just got her to stop singing for once. I want to cry now from the sheer silence." Luka moaned joyously, as he breathed deeply while looking at the night sky. "Are you sure about this? Vampires have a tendency to be stronger at night, even I know that." Luka gestured around to the other Human soldiers, who all had garlic necklaces and torches along with a number of items that would be useful in fighting a Vampire, such as spears to impale and immobilize it, along with stakes to finish it off.

"Which is why we got all this stuff." one of them said, gesturing to their gear. It was then they heard one of the Vampires, the one that Shirome was apparently following roared. The entire party jerked up in shock, surprised by the noise. Another roar was then heard, this Alice realized came from Shirome, as a burst of baleful purple and dark red light suddenly engulfed the graveyard. Alice then remembered what Leopold described the Vampires of his world. _'They are a blight upon the Empire with the Dark Art of Necromancy, raising legions of Undead.' _Alices' eyes widen in shock, and she cried out to a man that reading a headstone.

"Back away from there!" she yelled, as the dirt in the graves suddenly began to burst and explode outwards, drawing the attention of the group. Due to the late reaction of the one the man was near, he managed to back up and avoid the limb that shot out in an attempt to grab his ankle.

* * *

****BGM: CLERIC BEAST FROM BLOODBORNE****

* * *

"Oh fuck!" he yelled, as a decaying and rotting flesh covered skull peered at him with a blank look of anger, when he immediately stabbed it in the eye.

"The dead! They raising the dead!" someone yelled. Within moments, the graveyard was swarming with zombies and skeletons, and much to the shock of Alice, she saw that these Undead included male cadavers, as they pushed against the gates, which the soldiers tried to close up on them. They managed to slam it close, but a mangled limb managed to grab at one mans' neck. As he cried out, the zombie in question pulled him towards the gate, slamming him into it.

"Jared!"

"GGYAAGH!" Jared cried out, as several limbs began ripping at his skin, while the the Undead howled and raged. More of them began to gather on that part of the gate, both on noticing the man just barely in their grasp, and due to several spear men rushing to help him.

_KKYYAAHH! What kind of magic is this?! _Slyph cried out, as Luka ran over to help Jared. He could feel the sensation of the Dark Magic which animated these Undead, and felt repulsed by it.

_Slyph, now is not the time to dwell on this! _Luka exclaimed, as he called on her power. As he felt the rushing of the Wind, he could feel it blow though everything, and that was when he paused upon how it felt _wrong _when he sensed how it flowed through the Undead. That, and he felt something coming from the direction of the basement. "Guards, they're a distraction!" he yelled, pointing at the basement. Almost on cue, the rubble that Alice had put to keep the Vampires trapped exploded, and two shapes ran out in a blur. Shirome was the smallest of the two, and ran with her cleaver in hand at two soldiers as they tried to block her.

"Oh Ilias! GYA-" one mans scream was cut off as she chopped off their spears' pointed heads before they could impale her, followed by a second strike which bisecting both on them at the waist. Seeing Alice and Luka, Shirome grimaced, before running with a speed that only Alice could keep up with out in the direction of San Ilias, while the other Vampire ran towards the guards that struggling to save Jared, and leaped over them. As it sailed in the air over the fence, it grabbed a guard, who screamed as he was pulled away along with the beast of the night. Upon landing in the graveyard, it then ran on all fours as if they were some demented Hellhound, charging through the fencing and smashing through it like a battering ram. With that, the Undeads' weight began to make the gate buckle.

"Get away from them!" all the guards there then backed up, as the gate came loose and the pile of corpses fell upon Jared, crushing him underneath their weight as they also lurched forwards to go after the other Humans. Luka rushed forwards to fight the Undead, while he turned to Alice. At first, he did not see her, then saw a flickering tail disappear into the brush, and realized she was chasing down Shirome. He heard a growl, and slashed a zombie the ran at him, which immediately collapsed and fell apart.

Meanwhile, Alice was speeding through the forest that surrounded the Haunted Mansion, cursing internally. _Dark Goddess damn me if I let another one of the monsters of the other world cause more problems ensuring peace! _She thought. As the Monster Lord crashed through the trees chasing Shirome, she sensed a a feeling of baleful energy similar to the one that emitted from the Vampires when they raised those corpses. She immediately dashed to the side, as her target tried to grab her with a magic-enveloped hand. The Vampire turned and snarled in fury, as she drew the cleaver that she carried from her back. As she made her first strike, Alice dodged under the bloody blade, which sailed over the Monster Lords head.

"Enough!" Alice screamed, as she grabbed it with her healed arm, and punched her attacker with the other in the torso. The force launched Shirome into a tree, and a branch suddenly shot out of nowhere, impaling the Monster on it, and she preceded to let out a pain-filled scream. "What has become of you! Why are you trying to slay your Lord!" Alice demanded, throwing down the cleaver.

"You are not my Lord!" Shirome snapped, trying to break the tree branch, only to let out an exasperated gasp as several vines wrapped around the Vampires' limbs. Roaring in anger, the Vampire kicked at the trunk, screaming in rage. Alice, trying to calm her down, slithered up the tree trunk, then grabbed Shirome as her eyes began to glow. However, the Artise Necromancer snapped, trying to bite into the Monster Lords hand. Alice was too fast however, as she pulled back her arms, and grabbed the Vampires' fangs. As Alices' grip tightened, Shirome widened her eyes for half a second.

After a snapping sound was heard, Shiromes' scream of pain could be heard echoing throughout the forest, as Alice effortlessly pulled it out with a spurt of dead, rotten black blood, which took the Lamia off-guard. As she inspected the branch ran a quick simulation of Shiromes' impalement, she realized it went through one of her stomachs, and was covered a mixture of her blood and in its contents.

Alice then recoiled at this, as the Vampire screamed even louder while holding her mouth, as she noticed that up close, her body was like one of the zombies she raised from the dead, but akin to one of her world. Not only that, but her arms bore similar claws to the one that was from the other world. "What is this? What pact did you make with creature?" she demanded, as the sobbing Shirome broke.

"Lord help me... not again." she cried, shaking in fear of Alice. The Monster Lord then grabbed her by both sides of her head, forcing the crying Succubus-turned-Vampire to look her in the eyes.

"Shirome! Answer me!" She roared in anger. "What is that beast planning to-" she stopped, as she heard something leaping from tree to tree. As she she turned to see what it was, the Vampire that was with her captive leaped in the air, mouth opened like a maw as it howled, its' eyes flaring red like blood, and hands outstretched to rip into the Monster Lords' flesh while flying like a missile through the air.

Alice uncoiled partway around the tree trunk her snake half was wrapped around, both dodging the attack, and getting behind the Vampire. As she shot an arm out, the Vampire turned with a speed that matched hers, and caught the fist at the end of it. As a shock wave resounded, the bone in the Vampires' arm burst from its' elbow, but it held on regardless. "What?!" Alice cried out, and then grunted as the Vampire punched her back, recoiling at the sheer force it put out as she felt the skin on the right side of her face tore open, while the beast reared back to strike her again. Several vines wrapped around its arm, distracting it long enough for Alice to charge her magic and blast the Vampire at point blank range in the head with a gout of flame spewed from her mouth. The Vampire screeched in rage, an aura of black and purple surrounding it like a shield of ablative armor as it struggled against the vines holding its arm from retaliating and Alice holding its mangled limb, while Shirome cried out.

"Lord Strigos!" she yelled, before chopping at the vines, releasing one of its limbs. Alice, noticing this from her peripheral vision, stopped and turned to the Artise.

"What are you doing?!" the Lamia yelled in anger, when she then turned at the sound of wood being smashed. Alice then saw the second Vampire had punched threw the tree, and the same magic aura it generated began to channel into the tree, which suddenly started dying. Alice quickly unwounded in an attempt to pull the Vampire off of the withering tree to save it while its avatar began to form, crying out in pain. However, instead of being pulled along with her, she felt the arm she was holding onto get ripped off entirely from the elbow, and the Vampire cried out in pain as the sound of ripping flesh was heard, but it did not cancel the spell. As the tree rotted from the inside out, the vines keeping Shirome tied to the branch sticking out of her stomach shriveled up, and she tore her way out of the trap.

Both Vampires quickly leaped off, and landed on the ground worse for wear, as Alice then fired off a chunk of ice which blocked off their path as they ran. As the two looked at Alice, they saw she had dropped the limb she tore off, and that she was still more then able to keep fighting. "Surrender or die." she said, eyes narrowed and threatening at the two, looking back at the tree with what looked to be a look of empathy and regret as it continued to wither. When she turned back, she said, "I will not suffer you to continue with whatever plans you have intended to fulfill, especially if it involves slaying the very land itself." With that, the Vampire that saved Shirome stepped in front of her when she tried to retort, and then smiled, making a twisted and distorted maw of fangs. Alice felt a chill run up her spine, and turned to see a phantasm floating near her. When it took the shape of a man, it suddenly howled and screamed while flying at her, and Alice suddenly froze in fear when she realized it was a ghost.

As she screamed in response, Luka rushed out from the brush with Angel Halo, letting out a war cry as he struck the spirit, which burst apart as the sword slashed it. As he turned, the large Vampire suddenly wrapped its hand around the Human boys neck, only to recoil as its hand burst into bright blue flame that burned away the flesh, and shrieked when Luka cut into its stomach. As he prepared to cut vertically, his opponent slapped the blade, causing the bone remnants of its hand to explode everywhere, then kicked him with enough force to send all the air in his lungs rushing out as he skid across the ground, then fell face first while his eyes rolled back much to Alices terror. Then she saw the Vampire stomping towards him, eyeing his body hungrily as its fanged maw opened up.

With a grunt, Alice launched herself at the Vampire, having recovered from the shock of the ghost attack, and attack the Vampire with a punch to the head while it was still focused on her travel companion. Unlike when it hit her face, which which was only grazed, she felt its jaw break, and it also staggered from the force of her blow, followed by another two, then four and more as she unleashed a barrage upon it, screaming as she did so. As the Vampire was sent flying away from the two, Shirome caught her new master, and stared at her former Lord with a look of rage, and possible fear as she held out her cleaver. The fact she was still willing to fight despite her injury frightened Alice combined with the fact the Vampire with her was still in one albeit battered piece, but she did not let it show as she took comfort in the fact that while this newcomer was vicious and aggressive as par for the course of everything that came from the other world, it was not invincible. And that was when she heard the cry of the San Ilias guards, as they were apparently left behind when Luka came to help her.

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****BGM ENDS****

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"There! One of them went that way!"

"Move! Move!" Alice quickly put on her disguise, while the Vampires ran away, knowing it was a fools errand to stand there ground. Alice quickly ran over to Luka, checking on him and laying her head on his chest. Much to her relief he was still breathing, though clearly pained as he coughed.

"Alice, get off my chest." Luka wheezed, and the Lamia realized she was clinging a bit too hard. As she let him go, the soldiers burst forth from the bushes, and surveyed the scene.

"What happened? After the Zombies and Skeletons fell over, Luka ran over to you saying that you went after one of the Vampires, and he booked it." the man said. Alice then explained what happened as Luka got up, changing the story slightly to make it believable that the Vampires got worn down, and fled the scene when the soldiers came.

"If I had to guess, they could not sustain a even longer and more drawn out fight with you joining in. I more or less was only keeping them pinned down for Luka, who did most of the damage." Luka looked at Alice, visibly confused.

"What?"

"Ah, as befitting a Hero of Ilias, she must've blessed you indirectly boy!" one of the guards said, as Alice composed herself at how ridiculous that line was.

_Oh bother. _Alice muttered internally. _What a bunch of fools... As if she was involved._

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**POV SHIFT**

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Ilias smiled, sipping a glass of wine as she heard one of her worshipers praise her while she had sat and watched everything unfold. When she heard Alice internally mutter to herself about Luka being blessed, she smiled even wider at Alices' doubt about Luka being blessed despite not being a Hero. "Ironic."

"Hmm?" a passing Angel inquired, hearing the goddess.

"Nothing."

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**POV SHIFT**

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As Luka woke up, he found himself in a bed, while Alice was inside his room with him, having just finished speaking with Slyph. He wasn't sure what it was about, but he could tell that it was daylight out, and rubbed his head.

"Hey!~" Slyph said cheerfully, manifesting herself before him. Luka looked at the Spirit, which looked like a Fairy with long pale yellow-green hair, shoes with white puff balls on the end, and a dress that just covered enough of her that resembled a pale fuzzy leaf on the same color. Breathing deeply to calm himself, he sighed out his response.

"Hi Slyph." Alice seemed to almost chuckle at the response as she rubbed at the dark circles that formed under her eyes, and seemed pleased that Luka seemed to have recovered from the fight. It still unnerved her how he regenerated his body when they went to sleep, and making crackling sounds all the while, leaving her unable to sleep. "Alice, shall we continue with our quest to enlist the aide of the other Spirits?"

"What about the San Ilias King? He wants to speak with you, as so far the Vampires have not been seen in the cemeteries of the city, thus they must have been chased away and make a banquet in your honor for your bravery last night."

"Quest and Spirits first, banquet after." Luka replied, then focused his thoughts on Slyph to speak with her mentally. _Slyph, are the other Spirits like you?_

_No._

_Oh Thank you Ilias, for granting me this boon! _Luka thought to himself, as he and Alice prepared to continue there journey.

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As Saltzpyre stabbed his rapier threw the eye of one of the Mutants, he drew out a pistol from his coat, and shot one of its angry kin as she rushed at him in the chest. "Onwards, for Sigmars sake, push onwards to victory!" he shouted above the din of shouting, screams, and moans of the people around him, while Sienna could be seen unleashing a gout of flame ahead of her, burning a path through the enraged Mutants. "Follow the Bright Wizard, she will form the path to level justice upon this towns' traitorous Witch of a mayor!" the Sigmarite Priest shouted in the tongue of the Ilias Kruez order, rallying them to fight back against the corrupted and fallen Mutants. It also stood out that Ulboro mentioned Ilias, likely to ensure that the name of local deity of this peoples' worship would draw their attention, and it seem to work as they eventually began fighting off their corrupted counterparts with a fervor that grew in proximity to the Warrior Priest of Sigmar. While the women that Lily turned into these Spawn of Chaos were capable of over-powering multiple opponents, the lack of coordination, tactics, and occasional tunnel-vision that occurred from them focusing on one man or another meant they were slowly but surely being overwhelmed by Ilias Kruez and the people they came to rescue from them.

One of the Mutants, for example was intent on wrapping up a man as she tried to run away from him, and didn't notice Kerillian running up behind her until the Wood Elf sunk two daggers into her back, then liberated her head from her shoulders. As the man got back up, the Way Watcher of Athel Lorens leaped up into the air, kicking another of the Monsterized villagers whilst simultaneously throwing a knife at another, not missing a beat as she slipped in and out amongst them. Krieg was covered in fresh scars that were bleeding, breathing heavily as she looked at an equally battered Monster of some kind which resembled a pot with tentacles and a mouth, shielding a boy of around five or six years with body as it tried whip her away from its prey. Markus Kruber then jumped in, great sword in hand as he swung downwards.

He yelled out something the Ilias Kruez fighter didn't hear, as it tried to dodge sideways, only to lose two of its tentacles. Krieg then swung her ax, as it made the mistake of getting close to her, and bisected the thing. One of the grown adult women that was kidnapped by Lily saw this, and she visibly paled in shock and horror, much to the confusion of the two who noticed that this was a departure from how uncaring they were when one of the others like her were injured or killed.

"What have you done?!" she cried out upon witnessing the beast being killed, as Krieg and Kruber readied themselves for a fight. As she started to tremble as though struggling with something, Markus switched to his handgun, and took a shot at her, getting behind Krieg when the Mutant fell over, reloading while she watched his back. However, she saw that the parts of the dead Monster from earlier was warping into something, and backed up to higher ground, carrying the crying boy up in her arm. Markus saw it, and jumped to another piece of rubble to get away in case this was an attack. As the Monster corpse finished shifting, the three stared wide-eyed, as Krieg muttered under her breath.

"Move! Move! We got to catch Lily before she escapes!" Lazarus yelled, as he and several others followed Saltzpyres' zealous yelling to Sigmar, translated by the Warrior Priest. As they ran through the town grounds, they could see a number of the town guard running towards them.

"Help us! Please!" one of them cried out, as another Worm Village Woman smashed through a wall and tackled them. "NO!" Sienna threw a fire bolt, which blow out a chunk of the Monsters' head. "Oh god thank-" Ulboro interrupted him by smashing his hammer into the ground next to his head, then picking up the panicking militiaman by the collar of his shirt.

"What you have been doing to let these _**things**_grow so numerous despite your duty to the people of this town?!" he roared, the mans' feet barely able to touch the ground.

"No please don't me! I didn't mean to help her I swear by Ilias!" the man squealed, trying to wrestle out of the Sigmarites' grip, while his companions looked on in horror as the crowd of angry townspeople surrounded them.

"What is happening?! What you mean help Lily?!" Lazarus yelled above the din of angry shouting. Ulboro then turned to the leader of Ilias Kruez, his eyes burning with fury.

"Don't you think it odd how many of the townswomen have turned out to corrupted by Chaos? That it happened to be going on for years that we have not heard a single thing about these women being turned into Monsters, and for a large number of them to suddenly all come out of the woodwork after hearing nothing about them save they disappeared?" with that, the Sigmarite looked deeply into the town guards' eyes. "Tell me everything that has been on, _now_."

"Ok, ok, I'll tell them everything! Ask the villagers, they confirm it!"

"Sam, don't tell them!" one of his comrades yelled, only to be beaten by one of the menfolk.

"DO IT! TELL THEM WHAT YOU HAVE DONE!" the man raged, veins bulging outwards. With that, Sam broke down, and began to emit everything, about how he and the militia had conspired with Lily in collecting the people there by falsely accusing them of witchcraft, rigging tests to ensure no one questioned them. By the time he mentioned paying off the town priests of Ilias in particular with the money made off of selling the accused villagers possesions to take portions of children that had been orphaned as a result every now and then at Lilys' word, Lazarus' hand was trembling in rage at the corruption that had led to this moment.

"You bastards!" he snarled, venom dripping from his words as he glared at the cowards that never stood up to the madwoman. "I ought to have you thrown out to the Monsters outside this village! Spread the word!" he called to the villagers around him. "Have every single militiaman still running around here still to be captured alive, along with that bastard that defiled the sanctity of this towns' church when he allowed those kids to be taken!" with that, most of the crowd scattered to do as the leader of San Ilias said. "Keep these men somewhere were we can deal with them later. Where's Ulboro going?" he asked while giving orders to those who remained, as he noticed that the Warrior Priest had run off.

"He asked where the church to Ilias was, what it looked like, then took off as soon as I told him." a woman from the village said. "I think that bribe accepting bastard is about to have a very angry visitor, since he made the mistake of locking himself in the church, assuming the Monsters haven't got to him yet."

"BOSS! BOSS!" the voice of Krieg yelled, as she and Markus Kruber appeared. "It's worse then we thought!" she said, tears in her eyes as Lazarus grabbed her by the shoulders...

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****BGM: IN THE NAME OF GOD BY POWERWOLF****

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Ulboro was running through the field of battle, holy wrath coursing through his veins as the Warrior Priest sped through the village, knocking over Mutant and Monster as he barreled like a cannonball through a wall of straw. He was screaming with absolute rage that a fellow holy man would dare to take part in the sins of the Chaos Cultist that defiled this place, and his hammer smashed aside a Monster as it looked and froze with fear. As he found the church building in question, he saw that it was closed, but the door had a number of Monsters trying to claw into the door.

"Oh come on out there, we know your in there!~" one of them cried out seductively, making a lewd moaning sound as she tried to entice the cowardly priest out into the open.

"We just want to play!'~"

"Yeeesss!~ We know you-"

"_**GET OUT OF MY WAY!" **_the Warrior Priest of Sigmar screamed, his voice projected by the holy power Sigmar granted his mortal servant that it sound like a booming thunder blast. As the Monsters jumped, startled by the power and emotion put into it, Ulboro slammed through the partially knocked over gate, his armored form instantly blasted one of them into red mist as he body slammed it, then punched another hard enough that she flew into the thick oak doors of the church. The doors were blown apart into splinters while the Monster crashed onto the ornate marble floor, as the Monsters ran in terror at the champion of Sigmars wroth incarnate seeking shelter in their former center of worship. Ulboro seethed in anger, and ran after them. **_"OUT! GET OUT OF THIS CHURCH AND MY SIGHT!"_** he bellowed, grabbing one of them and throwing her like a missile out of the building. A distant crash could be heard as the Mutant disappeared behind the wreckage of the houses nearby.

"Wait! He's just one man!" someone cried. "GET HIM!"

"Are you insane? He just made Julia explode by running into her, and punched Sarah through the doors!" another yelled. "I'm getting out of here!" most of the Monsters remaining did not have the sense to scramble out of there like that one, as she and two others slipped out during the following minutes of slaughter that happened. As one of the Mutants rushed out at the Sigmarite while carrying a pew, he grabbed, yanked it out of her hands, then smashed her body with it. As another jumped from the ceiling, he pivoted and knocked out of the air with what remained, sending her flying into a pillar. When he looked, he saw around eight to ten more of the Mutants looking at him, backing up slowly as he dropped what remained of the pew, and pulled out his hammer.

"GGYYAAHH!" one of them raged, then charged in desperation to get out. Ulboro delivered a blow to the head, pulping it as he whooshed past her body towards the others, slaying them within but a few seconds. When he was finished, he looked around the area, his heart pumping in his head and ears at the worldly filth around him, finally gazing upon the decadent and lavishly decorated interior. He saw paintings that were of fine quality and pigments, depicting the creatures the worshipers of Ilias called Angels in their glory, fighting Monsters. A Golden chandelier was hanging overhead, as he examined the painted ceiling.

"Oh, have you come to save me, sir holy man? That is what you look like yes?" an elderly voice asked, as Ulboro paused, and glanced using the mirror in a corner which showed himself and the man he was looking for. The priest clearly did not notice it, as the Warrior Priest could not hide the pure hate for this worldly wretch on his face. As the man approached, he gave a look of disgust as he looked at the ruins around him. As he looked in the mirror, he also saw the man was holding a bag full of something, the clanking indicated it had to do with gold at the very least. "Well, now that the way is clear, I suppose- ACK!" Ulboro cut him off, as the man suddenly found one of the Warrior Priests' hands wrapped around his neck and lifted into the air. Shocked, he dropped the bag, and a number of coins and golden objects fell out.

"You. Traitorous. Bastard. When I am done with you, your going to wish the Mutants got you first." the Sigmarite snarled softly. It was at this point, the man gazed in fear, not of being made a prisoner of Lilys' creations, but of the promise of a great amount of pain at the hands of a Warrior Priest of Sigmar, and made a fearful whimper...


	30. Chapter 30

**Vermin Tide Quest**

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Chapter 30

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As Lily surveyed the scene of carnage of destruction and chaos, she looked at her mentor. "I suppose it is time to seek out the others?" she asked, examining her new arms. She smiled, as only an Other Worlder would recognize the Mark of Tzeentch on them, but with them came a new gift the old man called the Sight, and already she was enamored with the new vision it gave her, with eyes that shone a rainbow of color when she looked in the mirror. As the enraged mobs were winning, she would've liked to burn them to test her new powers, nut alas one must learn to let go of certain things.

"It is time." the old man agreed, as he summon forth a horse which entered the room. After hopping on it, Lily climbed on after him.

"Where to, my valiant knight?" she teased while pretending to move for his crotch, eliciting a tired and haggard sigh from the old man. The Daemon sitting on his shoulder simply chuckled as a Warp Rift opened, and the horse ran into it.

"You're doing that just to put me on edge."

"Yep!"

"By the Raven..." her mentor muttered as he rolled his eyes in annoyance, "...you better behave yourself, or I'm tossing you out into the Warp."

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"Damn!" Sienna shouted, and stopped in her tracks as the others behind her saw a gleam in the mansion of their target in a window that flashed and disappeared. Their were finally clear of the village, with a last sweep being down by Ilias Kruez to drive off any remaining Mutants and capture Lilys' co-conspirators, as she turned to the rest of the Ubersreik Five, Lazarus and several of his men and women at arms, and turned to Kerillian. "That was the filthy Cultist responsible just left, along with one other, her mentor most likely." the Wood Elf then explained the situation, causing bitter groans to escape the lips of the zealots of Ilias. They had been worked up to a frenzy to find and kill the Witch, so to hear that Lily had escaped, as well as having possible aide in the manner in what she had done to the women, men, and children of Witch Hunt Village was another stab into the pain of what they found out about the situation

Put her sword away, the Bright Wizard looked at Saltzpyre. "So, what now? Investigate any evidence left behind?" the Witch Hunter grunted, his single eye glowering at the mansion.

"Any magical trappings and residue you can sense?"

"Not from here sir."

"Then we'll proceed with caution, if Lazarus is willing to help us locate any forbidden tomes and grimores what need burning." he said. "It'll help to also find out what they're planning and where their next destination is to stop their plans. Assuming said evidence is not false data to throw us off their scent, of course." he said. A quick exchange with Lazarus later, and Kerillian turned to the Witch Hunter.

"Lazarus says yes, if his followers also share in learning everything relevant."

"Well of course, our goals are aligned, and so too must our ability to combat the threats to come." Saltzpyre said, nodding to the man as he scratched at the stubble of his beard. With that, the group continued onwards. When they reached the entrance gate, the party saw two guards there with clear confusion at the smoke behind them, who were staring at the group in confusion. As one of them approached, he spoke in what was clearly a question, only to be answered by Saltzpyre running him through with his rapier, while Lazarus and his troop ran down the other as he fled, pummeling him with their fists until he was unconscious. Krieg then picked him up, tossed him over her shoulder, and carried him to the village to be judged for his part in its defilement.

As the rest entered, the first thing they saw was the cauldron simmering over a pentagram. Saltzpyre pointed to Bardin, who was still covered in gore and viscera as he had held his ground after getting split off from the group and surrounded by a horde of the Monsters. By the time he was recovered, the Dwarf had chopped apart at least three quarters of their numbers, the stubbornness and sheer grit typical of his race causing him to become a powerhouse of ax and shield amongst them, and drove them away. With a 'follow me' gesture, he pointed to the cauldron and walked towards it, silently encouraging him to watching his back while he investigated, and the others broke off into pairs.

The Dwarf then walked over, ax in hand in case someone jumped out from the shadows. One of the men yelped, and everyone turned to see him crawling away from a Iron Maiden, which opened up to reveal a fleshy interior meant entrap and suck prey dry. A quick fire bolt from Sienna, and it snapped shut, the expression of the face on it one of extreme pain. Bardin rushed it, and his ax slammed into one of the hinges, hacking it off. The Iron Maiden made a pained expression, while Kruber and Slatzpyre got on opposite sides, wrapping their arms around it.

"Tip it this way!" the Sergeant yelled, and it was thrown toppling to the ground, allowing Bardin to lop off the other two hinges, as it tried to silently plead for help. When the third was cut, its face froze, and when the two sides separated, the flesh could be seen shriveling up and drying out as though the moisture was being sucked out of it. With that, everything continued as normal for the party.

Several hours later, the Ubersreik Five and their allies left the mansion, and regrouped with those remaining in the village, where a crowd had gathered while the town militiamen and priest who actively participated in Lilys' activities and enabled her experiments with Dark Magic were awaiting judgment. Ulreik could be seen inspecting the line of prisoners, fingering the blade he carried as he practically gazed into the souls of the heretics before him. He in particular had a particularly angry countenance when he looked at the former priest of Ilias, and turned to the man who had replaced him. Currently, now that the initial rush of righteous fury and zeal had died down, there was murmuring among the people of Witch Hunt Village, as the dead around them were a testament of what they felt was their own failings. Even more so, now that the news has been sent out that Lily has escaped, and the town was practically leveled by the Witch that came and cast his fire spell to destroy it. As Lazarus and company walked over to the crowd, Ulboro could be heard finishing up a reading from the book he carried with him, while a number of Ilias Kruez members and Ulreik had their swords up at the ready. The new priest of Ilias then stepped forward, a copy of the holy book of the Iliasian faith cradled in his arms. The militiamen were grim-faced, knowing they were already dead from the baskets placed in front of them, while the denounced priest was clearly trying to break out of his bonds, crying and sobbing behind his bonds while Ulreik held him down with one arm. If one looked, Lazarus could make out a number of bruise marks on his face.

"It is now clear from what our friend here has proclaimed, that you are all guilty of being accessories, not just to the damnation of the women, men and children Lily performed her experiments on, but in letting a true Witch rise to power. Make no mistake, we are all to blame for what has happened, but you were charged and entrusted with the sacred duty of protecting this village." A number of the town militia shuffled uneasily, and none dared look in the eyes of those watching. "Instead, you actively allowed an age of horror and disgrace fall upon you, and perpetrated its continuance by your deeds, setting us one against the other. There is no compromise in the price for such sin, and for how you forced the hand of these newcomers who call themselves the Sigmarites to action against you alongside our saviors known as Ilias Kruez to render thus the punishment that I and this people can not perform. Thus, for consorting with the darkness of what is known as Chaos, by aiding and abetting in the mass murder, rape, and torture of this town, government corruption and negligence of your duty, and finally blasphemy and heresy against but the Church of Ilias and the Cult of Sigmar, I have no choice but to declare that you have all been sentenced to death. May Ilias, and Sigmar have your souls, wherever they may be in the afterlife."

With that, Ulreik shouted in a manner similar to an army officer, **"Schwerter, erheben!" **and drew his sword. The members of Ilias Kruez followed suit, raising their blades over their heads, as Lazarus looked and saw the sun was blood red in the sky.

"**Die Ausfuehrung, beginnt!" **with that, he lopped off one of the corrupted priests' head off, while the other executioners came down at the same time as he did. As blood spewed off from the bodies for a second, they hung there before falling down like rag dolls. With that, the crowd dispersed, while the line of executioners wiped off their bodies and carried the bodies of the guilty off to be disposed of...

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**POV SHIFT**

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As Shirome and the Strigoi Ghoul King which she served settled into the tomb of a destroyed village they were hiding in that Shirome remembered the existence of, the Artiste looked at him and asked him the question that was on her mind. "Why me? Is there a reason that you made me one of your kind?" the Vampire growled, as he opened one of the coffins of the tomb they were in, and examined the body inside. Notably, he seemed more interested in hiding inside it, then consuming the corpse. "Oi, I just replaced your arm, hand, and half the bones in your body with what I scrounged up from this tomb. Don't go breaking your replacements now Master." she said, then felt at the gaps in her teeth were ripped out by Alice, wincing as she did so. She also felt at the new stomach which she sutured to replaced her destroyed organ, using the knowledge of this world to graft everything, including some skin and muscle to patch up the hole in her body. With the magic of the other worlds' Necromancy, she got to feel the weird sensation of it combining with what she still had, making it almost good as new, at least until one see the scaring and discoloration of her skin.

"I won't." the Ghoul King snapped back, as he turned to his servant. "And watch your tongue young blood."

"Yeah yeah, old man." the Strigoi snarled softly, but did not retort. "So, you going to tell me your back story and such, and then what plans you have?"

"Yes. I didn't say so at the time when I first raised you because was focused on making sure our plan to escape would succeed first, but as it stands, I needed someone to update me on this world, as well as to be my eyes and ears during the night, and most of my brethren Strigoi are... not up to the task mentally. Plus, you were a kindred soul, one who was betrayed by her closest allies and friends." Shirome rolled her eyes, and made a disgusted grunt.

"Friends wasn't much of a description, more like my co-workers in seeking the Truth."

"Hmm, and what Truth is that?" the Vampire asked. "Secrets of the universe, and how magic affects it?"

"Something like that."

"Then you would've made a fine Necrarch. They are a Bloodline of Vampires, who seek to study the mysteries of the universe, but are paranoid and frail." he hopped into the coffin, and laid down into it. Shirome snickered at the sight, as the Vampire got out of it. She in particular noted that her hunger for semen died out, and replaced with a simmering rage, and a urge to hunt for blood that just can't seem to die. "Master Strigos, is there a cost to what had happened to me?" she referred to the 'Blood Kiss' as the Strigoi called it, as she examined her left arm, where a tear was slowly knitting itself as the evidence of the act which led to her having his blood poured into her body. She can still recall finding herself in Morrs' realm while that God of the dead was escorting those who ended up in his realm after Erubetie was slain by Gelt, and the look of rage he had as he tried to slay the Artiste with his scythe while the others looked on in confusion.

After she woke up, she found that she can move again, while the Ghoul King explained what he did to save her and who he was. At least somewhat, considering his first order of business was to prepare and eat the party from San Ilias to build up their strength. After wards, the two waited silently as the day turned to night, with Shirome sharpening her cleaver and cleaning it of blood like she was doing now.

"So then, how do the Vampires of your world govern themselves?" she asked, licking up some of the dried blood on the cleaver, cringing at its cold and bitter flavor. The Strigoi flinched, as though remembering a painful memory.

"Our history is, something the Strigoi are not proud of." he muttered darkly, as the thought seemed offensive. Either way, he turned to her, and started explaining his kinds history, to give context of what she had inherited. "But as for the other Bloodlines, they are as different to each other as one nation of Humans is to another. There are six such Bloodlines, from six individuals who were the first of our kind, in a land known as Nehekara from which Necromancy was born." with that, Shirome listened intently, as he told of the Lich known as Nagash, his rise to power and downfall. Then, of how many centuries later, Neferata would learn of his recipe for the Elixir of Life, which granted unto one immortality and great power over Dark Magic. She would make one for herself, intent on having the same powers he did, and partook of it. However, the Elixir was made specifically to Nagash, so it gave her what she wanted, at the cost of becoming the First Vampire.

Shirome listened intently, as she was told of how she shared with four others, which made her pause. "But that would make five, not six Bloodlines." her master then held up a clawed hand, and replied.

"Correct, and that was because she denied it to her brother Ushoran, as she was childish and sought to keep him as someone who she could humiliate and beat down at will." Shirome crunched up her nose at the thought. "Even, he wouldn't not be denied the birthright for long, as he eventually recreated the Elixir on his own, insulting the Queen of Vampires in the process, both from defying her will, and becoming her equal on his terms, not hers. With that, Ushoran would become the progenitor of the Sixth Bloodline, the Strigoi."

"Well now, good on him." Shirome commented, until she noticed something was wrong. "...is this were things went downhill for the Bloodline or something?"

"Not quite. See eventually, Nagash returned, and subjugated the Vampires into following his every word. Eventually, he launched a second war to reclaim Nehekara, with the aide of the Skaven who spread a number of poisons and disease in the land, setting it up for us to quickly raise an army. The Nehekarans, however, learned from the first war, and thus unleashed a new weapon they had developed: a number of constructs built to resemble their holy statues and idols were unleashed, which were capable of leveling much of our army, and bolstered their remaining forces. Even so, Nagash was yet winning due to sabotage by our agents and the Skavens own methods. Eventually, the Vampires fled and abandoned him, and thus we were cursed for our betrayal. This curse is why we can not go out into the day, lest the sun burns us into ash."

"As the other Bloodlines went into hiding for the next thousand years, the Strigoi under Ushoran would build an empire, known by the same name as my title, Stroigos. In it, we ruled our subjects fairly, unlike the others during the time of Nehekara when Neferata ruled in Lahmia. While her actions and wanton feeding on her subjects would create a stigma that lasts to this day, the Strigoi only fed on those who disobeyed our laws or declared themselves enemies of Stroigos, and ensured those we ruled over prospered." it was then that his face took a dark scowl. "However, it was not meant to be, due to the machinations of Neferata."

"What had she done?" Shirome asked, sensing the silent wave of hate before her master verbally expressed it. As he spoke, she swore his body trembled, as though he was reliving the memory of what he was describing.

"Ushoran, not one to horde his subjects, invited the other Bloodlines to come and partake of his new kingdom, something which Neferata considered a second insult, as accepting would mean acknowledging that he succeeded in creating that which she failed to do: a nation where the Vampire can rule without fear of being hunted by Humanity. So, her spies slew the messengers Ushoran sent, and framed him as intending to sacrifice the others to Nagash. Eventually, Strigos would find itself besieged on all sides by the other Bloodlines, and it would then fall as the Strigoi were forced to scatter and hide, lest we would all be exterminated by our traitorous kin. To survive, we had to feed on the cold and bitter corpses of the dead, as we could not hide for long amongst the living. As time wore on, many like me began to develop forms like what you see before you." the Strigoi gestured to his body, which was like unto a predator of the night. "In order to survive living in the isolated and dark places of the world where few tread, we changed from something vaguely resembling Human forms into the form of the beast that was better suited to fighting anything that came to hunt us. But so did effect the minds of the Strigoi, as our bitterness and anger was something most Vampires can not endure feeling for such a long time. Thus, the majority of Strigoi, if you encountered them, are insane, oft pretending the sackcloth and furs they wear is royal robes of gold, and their servants raised from the dead in the ruins they dwell are servants and friends long dead."

"By the gods..." Shirome muttered. "That is why you called me a 'kindred soul' and made me one of your own?" she asked, inspecting her cleaver, and staring into the mirror. As a pang of guilt came over the new Vampire, her master broke the silence to draw her mind away from her memories.

"Yes, but also a choice made pragmatically, for the Strigoi, as much as we have warped into beasts, are not as mindless as those outside our Bloodline may think, but even now the decay of the Strigoi is reaching an apex. In fact, I came here, specifically so that we may rebuild Strigos once again, for unless the Bloodline can reunite and form a new nation, we will become mindless beasts and be slaughtered. So I was sent to this world to help set forth our coming to power, and also if possible, raise an army without the other Bloodlines to interfere. Are there any particular burial sites, such as mass grave left over from the Great Monster Wars?"

"Well, I happen to know where we can get a ship of ghosts to help us travel by sea, and a considerable number of sites with plenty of dead to raise both a navy, army, and aerial units, mostly sites of where many corpses were buried." Shirome said, as she thought about her memories of her pre-Vampire life."All that remains is finding a way back that does not involve the Gods, so that leaves finding a Skaven base and running through their portal technology."

"Hmm." the Strigoi sat down on his hunches, and thought about it. "As unstable as their Warpstone-based magitech is, it is our only shot, and we will only have the one. And we will be almost guaranteed end up in one of their strongholds. Alright, unless we find a better way, we will have to ambush and raid a Skaven base, and use their portals to return to our world to reunite with the rest of our Bloodline gathering in what is known as the Badlands, where our kingdom once resides." Shirome nodded.

"Well I have a place amongst the newly rebuilt Strigos?" Shirome asked. With that, her master looked at her.

"If you are diligent, and bring glory to the name of the Strigoi in the battles to come, yes you will be accepted as one of the Blood, for I must also warn you, the others may not approve of my making you one of us at first." Shirome nodded her head. She expected something along those lines. Even so, to have been accepted by the creature, who she could relate to, that only encouraged her.

"Well now, what shall we do until night comes?" the Artiste Vampire asked. With that, her master sighed as he scratched his head.

"Sleep." with that, he hobbled over the gray coffin, and laid himself down on top of it. "And I will teach you how to hunt and refine your powers come moon rise." Shirome looked at him, then moved aside a coffin, and due to actually fitting into it, pulled the cover stone back on top to encase her with the corpse inside.

* * *

**POVSHIFT**

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As Cassandra and her daughter Emily from Lady Village were on their way to Witch Hunt Village along with one of their servants, the small Monster looked at her mother, dressed in an elegant royal red dress. She also noticed a necklace around her neck, which had an icon of some kind she did not recognize from her studies. "Mother, what is that necklace, and where did you get in?"

"Oh this, this is something that I was given in for a very special occasion." the adult Nereneid said. "If we happen to find a specific person, we will know by them recognizing it."

"Why are you looking for this person mi'Lady?" the servant, a Spider Girl asked. She was a pale red color, with violet hair and pink eyes and wore a green dress which formed around her Human form, and disappeared when she showed her true body. "Previously, you never mentioned them, just said to pack up and look for them yourself."

"Well, it has come to my attention that this one traveler is more then meets the eye." with that, the Spider had a look of disdain. "No, not that bumbling boy Alice is with, but they are Human. Specifically, a Human who is here as an envoy of his Gods from the Other World."

"Why should we care about these Gods we never knew of until now, especially when _Humans _worship them? They have not so much as... why are you looking at me like that?" the Spider Girl asked, when she saw Cassandra was staring at her like she was some peasant that wandered into the village. Emily felt some amount of fear as she observed this sudden change in her mothers' mood, and saw the Spider Girl shirking back, worried that this was the prelude to being eaten by her master. "M-m-my l-l-Lady Nenereid, I was only p-p-pointing out that we have done just fine with just the Dark Goddess as our figure of worship." the terrified Monster said, stammering as she felt a chill run down her spine. When Cassandra placed a hand on the Spider Girls' shoulder, she suddenly smiled.

"Of course, I am aware of that. But you must remember, the Monster Lords' Castle was taken by Humans from the Other World, and they also slew a Heavenly Knight. Surely, you can't fault me for being a bit curious about the religion of these people, especially when I learned that Humans have many different Gods there, yes?" the Monster outcast said in a friendly tone, which was frankly hollow and false in the eyes of Emily and her servant. Either way, the Spider Girl and her simply nodded their heads and agreed, lest the situation escalate. With that, Cassandra turned back around and continued down the path they were walking down, causing them to glance at each other with looks of concern of just what is happening to her.

As they made camp for the night, Emily went to go explore a river bank, and settled into the ice-cold water. Due to being a Scylla, she could endure far greater temperature extremes and pressure as befitting the octopus-based Monster species, and in fact took comfort in feeling of the water as she shifted into her Monster form. As her hair turned into two octopus tentacles, she used them to lap up the water so it splashed on her face, letting the events of the day play out in her mind. It was suspicious what was happening with her mother, and it concerned Emily greatly_._ First, mother had let out that scream of pure mind numbing terror and pain while a crashing sound was heard that awoke the entirety of Lady Village. Then, when Emily ran over and tried to come in to comfort her, mother acted like she was perfectly fine.

Now, they're going to look for some Human, who is some kind of priest if what her mother said able them is true that they are gong to join in worshiping some unknown God. It just didn't make sense! Her mother has always been a follower of the Dark Goddess Alipheese Fateburn, who stood for her creations, and fought for them when Ilias declared her intent to wipe out the Monsters. Why would she care what this Human thought about, and what he worshiped?

As she was deep in thought, Emily dipped under the water, and proceeded to meditate, her physiology allowing the Scylla to breathe under water. When her stomach rumbled, it reminded her that she had not eaten dinner yet, and thus proceeded to go hunting. Using the lessons that her mother taught her, the Scylla used her scrying ability to scan for a target, and smiled sadistically as she found one in a lone Frog Girl that was nearby. Sensing there was no others of her kind around, the Scylla picked her out.

As she swam, Emily subtlety used her abilities to change her skin and eyes to match the shimmering of the water. While the Scylla was able to camouflage herself in the water like so, she was still learning how to do it when on land, and can't quick change the surface of her skin yet. As the Monster she was hunting looked up and sniffed the current, she cursed to herself mentally and she squeezed herself behind a rock. She had not taken into account that she was moving downstream, and thus the water would carry her scent. The Frog Girl likely picked up on it getting stronger, and thus wondered why she smelled another Monster getting closer.

"Hello, is anybody there?" the Monster asked. "Did you want anything?" Thankfully, Emily was about fifty meters or so, so her camouflaged skin will still be effective. Remembering how bendable a Scylla is in general, Emily proceeded to shift and wrap her flesh, and due to her having less bones in her Monster-half, soon made it appear that she was stuck in the rocks.

"Hel-help!" Emily squeaked out, make a loud gasp of pain. "Emily is stuck between two rocks!"

"By the Goddess! Where are you Emily? What happened?" the Frog cried out. As Emily passively scanned the direction the Frog was at, and smiled as they got closer. Thirty meters.

"Emily was attacked by another Monster, a Charybdis who smashed her with a rock!" Emily lied, making another gasping sound and a crying sound. If there was one part of her studies she loved, it was acting. Thankfully, the Frog Girl was naïve, or lacking in magic enough to fall for it, such was the stupidity of Monsters birthed and raised in the wilds. Twenty five meters. Twenty. Ten.

"Wait, how did I miss you, and a Charybdis in the same area?" Bugger. Twenty two meters.

"Emily is a Scylla, we are able to hide well. She was swimming away from the ocean to get away from her, but she eventually caught up to her, beat her, and left her here to die! Emily didn't want to give away her position to anyone willing to finish the job, so she used her ability to blend in to hide..." Emily then de-camouflaged a tentacle, and stuck it out were its yellow and white coloring would be visible. "...see?" After a moment passed, the Frog swam closer to the daughter of Cassandra Nereneid, who licked her lips. Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven. Six.

"Alright, I can just about make out your figure. Can you drop the stealth for now, so I can asses the injuries." Point range at three meters. As Emily dropped the camouflage, she untwisted her body, spiraled up as she sucked in some water threw a water jet hidden in her lower half, and shot forth like a missile, tackling and smashing the Frog Girl as a look of terror and recognition of what she had waltzed into crossed the amphibious Monsters' face. As she was slammed into the river, Emily quickly smashed her prey into the riverbed, and covered the Frog Girls' mouth with a tentacle as she cried out in pain.

As the two struggled and panicked, the muffled screams of the Frog Girl intensified as Emily smashed her arm with her fist and held it there, and stomped her legs to prevent her target from escaping. It was pathetic how frail this one was, likely why she was left behind by her sisters. With that, Emily prepared to digest her meal, which stared in horror as the octopus part of her body began to wrap around the now useless legs. The Frog Girl grabbed a rock with her good arm, and managed to throw it before Emily saw the arm moving. However, the Scylla caught it, and then smiled malevolently as she crushed it into dust. The Frog Girl then tried to punch Emily in the face, only for her to dodge the attack by shifting her head sideways in an unnatural way. She then proceeded to grab the Frog Girl by the wrist with her own free arm, who was now crying in fear at this point, as she felt herself being sucked into the Scylla to be eaten.

"Emily! Where are you?" Cassandra called out, causing her daughter to look up at the surface of the water, then back at the Frog Girl. Growling in annoyance, Emily then swam upwards, carrying the sobbing Monster she caught with in her octopus mouth, mouth still covered up. As she broke through the surface, she saw her mother turned at the sound she made. "Ah, there you are. I was looking for you... what have you got there my child?" the Amoeba asked, as she noticed Emilys' weirdly jinking her head, the result of her prey continuing to struggle against the Scylla swimming to shore with her inside.

"Emily was hunting, and then caught herself a meal mommy!" she cried out joyfully, crawling out on the riverbank with her prey, presenting it with a look of pride. Cassandra looked at the Frog Girl, and smiled. The Monster Emily caught had a hopeful look, as one of the commandments of Goddess Alipheese Fateburn was '_Thou shall honor thy Mother and Matriarch above thine own.'_

"Good my daughter. Have you been following your lessons well?" the Amoeba asked, the look of shock in the Frogs' eyes apparent as Cassandra congratulated her daughter for harming another Monster. Pleading eyes were then met with the cruel and merciless eyes of the two, as she was finally swallowed up by Emily save for her arm, which was now thrashing wildly and clawing at the mud furtively. "As it happens, the Human I have been looking for has come to us." with that, the Spider Maid stepped out from the bushes, a look of nervous apparition on her face as a horse of some kind followed her. Emily also felt something was wrong with it, as its mouth was oddly deformed, while the old man and young woman that rode on it carried an aura of... something about them. She did not know why, but the hairs on the back of her neck went up at how the raven on the mans' shoulder and horse looked at her, her instincts set alight that they were dealing with something dangerous.

"Mom, are you sure about this? I still don't like the idea of dealing with this Human..." Emily said, slipping out of her usual referencing herself through illeism. The old man simply grinned silently behind Cassandra, as she placed a hand on her daughter, and Emily could have sworn his face turned into that of... something before it changed back.

"Now now, my daughter. I'm only hear him out, we'll take him to the village, and if he is not satisfactory, we'll... take care of him." the Amoeba said sweetly, trying to comfort her disturbed daughter. The old man then spoke up, just enough to be heard.

"I'm sure the offer of the Gods I am acting as the messenger and voice for will more than satisfy any questions and concerns you have." the old man said.

"Wait, you were supposed to have been at one of the Human Villages. Why are you here, and who is she?" the Spider Maid asked, as she looked at him and his acquittance, who thus far had watched silently. However, upon being asked this, the woman with him spoke up.

"Ah yes, my name is Lily, and I'm this servant of the Gods' apprentice. He found me back at the Witch Hunt Village." the Spider looked over at Cassandra, then the Humans.

"Witch Hunt Village? What were you doing there?"

"I was in fact the mayor until recent events, as Ilias Kruez had unfortunately caused us to vacate the premises as they discovered we had been experimenting with Dark Magic under everyones' noses there." Cassandra visibly grew interested in this, while the other Monsters only looked on in confusion.

"Well, that sounds fascinating, but perhaps you can explain what has been going on over there, and what we are dealing with while I show you the way home as my guests?" Cassandra suggested, as Emily finished up with her meal. "We have much to discuss on the way, and the forest has ears as they say..."

* * *

**POV SHIFT**

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Deep within the mountains of Sentora, where most Monsters did not go due to a lack of the Human men they seek to thrive and breed with, a hedge of stone was erected. At first glance, one would assume that it had been there for a long time. And while it was true the stone there were ancient and been there a long time, a closer inspection would reveal an oddity within the rock, which was clearly not from same source as that surrounding it, along with the forgotten symbol of the Druids being roughly recreated by their layout when one looks at it from above. In between one set of arches, one of them stepped out of the ring, while a mist was emitted from it. The normally dark chamber was then lit up with an ethereal glow emitting from arch and died out as it closed, as the Druid ran down a tunnel, not crashing into the walls despite the sheer darkness around him.

With his Sight, the Druid had no need for the sun and the stars, the Currents of Magic being all the forgotten creations of Ilias require to navigate such an environment as this. His steps also did not echo, as the Druid ran down the corridor and eventually found an open chamber, where others of his kin were gathered around a table with a map of the world carved into it. While there was more of them, only two were speaking, mostly for ease of communication.

"He can't be allowed to continue the slaughter, the Dark Goddess will take her fury out upon the people of Ilias, and maybe even find this place! The release of Minagi into this world is proof that she is being stirred from her slumber, so what are we to do if the Abomination is the next one of her daughters to be allowed to walk upon this world once more?" one voice could be heard speaking. "Balthasar Gelt and his men must be removed from the Castle, and returned to the Other World at once."

"How can we? Hellgondo is a hellscape that none can enter, and our creator will no doubt be enraged to learn we have been here all this time, despite the fact we do not have the numbers or power to fight the Monsters."

"What about the Heavenly Knight of Earth? Mayhaps we can enlist her aid, and perhaps try to intervene to help her plan for co-existence?"

"No, we don't know what her endgame is. Remember how the Ancestor she is named after caused many a nation to fall to ruin before Ilias instituted our creation and purpose. We were supposed to be the Shield to the Angels' Spear, but now we have been shattered since the Abomination nearly exterminated us after her vile power was granted by the Dark Goddess, and drove us into hiding." with that, the other Druids became aware of their new member, as he finally entered the room.

"Its' about the Witch Hunt Village." the Druid who entered the room said. He then gave a full recreation of what had happened in the Village, as well as how the two responsible for its devastation had escaped.

"By Heavens Light. This has gone for far too long. We can't afford to hide here any longer!" the one advocating for intervention carried out.

"Do not be hasty. If even half of what we suspect is happening is true, we can not intervene. Remember what the Travelers said about the time lines, and what will happen if they do not end in the fashion they should. As far as we know, there's no telling with everything so far is playing out like it should. Erubetie, for example died before we could stop Gelt from doing so, and this could-"

"To be frank about the Paradox, to Hell with that crock of horse-shit. I refuse to believe that our world and everything we fought for is damned to be erased if we do anything that cause the world to be shaped to be different to that of some other world where we do not even exist because of some arbitrary law of nature! Unless half the planet dying out because the Dark Goddess breaks out of her seal, and throws a temper tantrum at everything not going her way is a part of it, which I refuse to believe is the case. I do not know what the hell this place has going for it, but I can not take any more of this! Ilias Kruez has been trying to do that which we were meant to do for at least a decade, and are failing because they do not have our magic, aide, or support from the very people they fight for!"

"But half the group are unhinged murderers that kill more Humans then Monsters."

"And how many Monsters like the Nereneids did we allow to flourish in Lady Village alone, who slaughter their own kin with disregard like they do Humans, and simply over some bullshit philosophy that it is their birthright to do so solely because they have the power to slay their own kind? The Imperials are right to hate and fear the Monsters, so long as even one Monster like Cassandra lives and breathes. These ones are black marks on our heads, the reminder of our failures, and Ilias Kruez has _nothing_ to fight back with. Even more, they became just like them because the last attempt by anyone to establish co-existence was sabotaged by the current Monster Lord when she was but a child!" silence accompanied the emotional outburst that was let out by the Druid in question. A mumbling could be heard as several agreed with this assessment. As the noise died down, the Druid who was arguing for not doing anything sighed.

"I hope you know what you are doing. If you're wrong, then we're done for the moment we reveal ourselves..."


	31. Chapter 31

**VERMIN TIDE QUEST**

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Chapter 31

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_Day 1, entry 1: To the Monster who is reading this, then you found the personal journal of I, Minagi the Ancestor Lord of all Succubi and their offshoots. I decided to write my travels down because well, apparently I have ended up in another world by the machinations of some old hag that called herself Morai-Heg, and thought it best to record what I have found here. It all started some time ago when my mother the Dark Goddess Alipheese Fateburn, sister Ancestor Lords and I felt the deaths of a large number of Monsters behind the Seal that was place to placate Ilias. While we sensed something akin to a surge in magic, it was assumed that Tamano no Mae, Ancestor Lord of all Animal Monsters had the situation taken care of._

_We were wrong apparently, and thus I was sent to investigate and find out just what was going on after Mother felt a number of her creations being slaughtered en mass. When I emerged into the castle the Fateburns were to rule Monster-kind from, the first thing I noticed was a _Human _Knight, somehow in a catacomb of those who ruled after Mother. One of the things I immediately noticed was that the design was not one I recognized, and something seemed wrong about him, to say nothing of the fact the little bastard somehow snuck up behind me despite wearing it. In fact, basically the only reason I realized he was behind me was when I smelled his scent and delivered a simple but effective haymaker to his head, holding back to not beat his face in. I was going to enthrall and then drain him, when I because aware of multiple high-strength sources of powers coming after me, and fled from the scene. To get a general grasp of the situation in Hellgondo I flew away from the castle, which had been taken by a group of Humans alongside a group of Elves and Angels, the 'Holy' spawn of Ilias. What the Elves were doing with Humans I'm not sure._

_How my kin were driven out by such a pitiful group to begin with was beyond me, until I recalled the sheer power one Human in a golden mask had. Even so, as I flew above the skies, I could sense as though there was thousands of eyes looking at me from every direction, and yet wherever I looked, I couldn't place the source of the gazing. It felt like I had something looking at me from both close and far, within my head and without, but I dismissed it as Ilias trying to unnerve me. Now that I think about it, she was probably one angry bitch to find out I was back in hindsight. As time passed, I sensed that my sister was occupied with a group of male Monsters that resembled Minotaurs, while the rest of there war band tore and burned down a Village of Succubi._

_After I slaughtered them for their insult to me and my descendents, I regrouped with Tamano, who stayed in her persona of a Kitsune who had been a teacher and guide for Mothers' direct descendants ever since the Great Monster Wars ended. And while she had been fulfilling the task of keeping the peace, I found much to my chagrin that Tamano has been do in her own... interpretation of Mothers' orders:_

_In essence, she had been slowly teaching Monsters to actively seek co-existence with Humans, among other things, to the point that each succession to the throne led to the new Monster Lord ensuing policies to eventually do so despite the fact that filthy whelp of a Goddess Ilias is still pursuing the complete destruction of our kind. For example, the current Monster Lord had declared after a city named Remina was destroyed to not attack or assault Humans unless in self-defense. However, due to tensions between the two races, she has actively enforced her ruling, as a number of Monsters have refused to follow it, showing to me that the Fateburn since the First may very well have grown weak at heart to truly rule as they should despite their strength._

_And as I and Tamano were going over the events that been happening, aforementioned Morai-Heg the Hag showed up after paralyzing both me and my sister somehow, turned into a giant crow and then flew off laughing manically as she dropped me into this world. After a brief but violent first encounter with some form of Demon-worshiping Knights that burned down what I'm guessing to be a rival Human tribes' village, I was able to acquire this book and decided to write my findings down for when I return. And mark my words, I will return to Hellgondo, and set things back the way they should be, as you fellow reader will no doubt be experiencing in whatever future era has come._

_As for where I am currently, I'm in some form of polar region, and my scrying of the land revealed that there more of the Knights I encountered, along with abnormal Humans and other creatures fighting normal humans throughout the area. At least, they were until I came here. Presently, I am heading south, both to get out of the cold, which extends to the north, and because when I looked that way, I saw that more stuff was heading that way, and figured that the southern most parts of the world will be easier to get along with, especially since my current form allows me to play the role of an innocent child wandering the land._

_Day 1 entry 2: I have developed a burning hatred for whoever these ungrateful peasants of this world are, and whoever created them. To summarize, a bunch of the Southern men had been surprised when I strolled up to them, and went on guard as though they expected me to attack them. When I tried to dissuade them by playing dumb, they still came at me with their swords and spears, intent on slaying me. _Me,_ Minagi direct daughter of the Dark Goddess herself! After taking my due from them, I disposed of them for their offense towards me. Suddenly, I sensed some divine being named Ursen appeared, which I guess was the god these Humans worshiped. He, being male much to my surprise then accused me of being a wretch and that the men assumed I was of the Northerners, known as Norscans in the native tongue. I demanded that Ursen tell me what I wanted to know and to send me back the way I came, but he had the gall to refuse, and on top of that, said that I should beg him for forgiveness for killing his worshipers. As if I would do such a thing ! When I refused, I then tried to attack Ursan for daring think they could command me, and to take what I wanted by force. When I awoke in a crater some time later, I realized the bastard had struck me all the way back to where I was originally._

_I swore then at that point when I get back, the first thing I'm going to do is assemble an army of my descendants, and I'm going to take his most prized city and turn it into the largest brothel in the history of this world, and the one I am in. I then decided to head north, to see where negotiating with the Norscans as I learned they are called takes me..._

_Day 1, entry 3: Norscans are no better. Literally the first thing that happened was I got swarmed by a horde of the rampaging savages. After slaying an entire horde of them, the Hag as I am going to call her appeared for a second time, clapping her hands while chuckling mischievously with Ursen at her side. I was tempted to demand that the ugly and wretched wench take me back to Hellgondo, but then an idea came to me as I noticed Morai-Heg had one of her arms around Ursens'. Instead, I unsealed myself to my full power, growing into what I originally look like, and tried to seduce Ursen, offering my skills at lovemaking, which were surely better then that of the old women Elf at his side. He did not so much as flinch, instead looking me straight in the eye and said, word for word: "I wouldn't consider sharing my bed with you, or the bat-winged and cow-uddered mutants you call your children even if we are the last ones alive on either of our worlds." the nerve, especially Morai-Heg, who cackled maniacally at the insult! It was then she waved Ursen off, as he disappeared off to somewhere while I was still processing his insult._

_It was then she revealed that she was not even in a relationship with Ursen, and that he was there as an escort in case someone else interfered with our conversation, in payment of a favor he owed her. It was at this point, that Morai-Heg grew a serious face, and told me that she had a plan that been set in motion many thousands of years ago. In essence, she wants me to head south to a region called the 'Old World' to fight some Humans, where I am to distract and harass the forces of one Archaon the Everchosen. I do vaguely hearing Tamano and Hiruko talking about a multiverse that she discovered during the Great Monster Wars, but they weren't interested in it at the time, as Morai-Heg mentioned that these Monsters aren't from my world, but a copy of it. She wanted me to go there, and tell the Monsters there to leave and never return to this world. But now that I angered Ursen, she wanted me to apologize to him for killing his people, since he was not going to let me encroach further into his land. If he didn't want them to die, he should've interfered when the Norscans attacked in in the first place!_

_When I questioned what happened if I didn't, she smiled once again, then pointed north where the Norscans came from, and said 'Have fun fighting the entire Norscan population and the beasts that reside alongside them in that direction then, at least those that have not made it here yet. Oh, and by the way, if you do the task I want you to do, I'll consider letting you return to your world, provided you learn to get along with Ilias and convince her to let you back of course." When I processed the last sentence, I then remembered her mentioning having made a promise with Ilias to kidnap me. As the dots clicked in my head, the hag grinned widely, as she confirmed that she did so because Ilias asked her to take me out of Hellgondo and into this world._

"_But why?" I asked. In return, Morai-Heg replied with this;_

"_Because little immortal, all events will benefit me, and unbeknownst to Ilias, she has put herself in debt to me. And so will you."_

_Like that is going to happen. So, I accepted the task, more so to get out of the freezing cold, and get away from all this shit going on in Kislev. I of course brought up the fact that I am a Succubus, to which Morai-Heg laughed off and said "Do whatever, just don't kill any of the people fighting the Norscans or their allies, and don't get caught breaking the laws of the nations you are going to travel through. Oh, and no harming my ravens." in reply. As she was about to leave, I had critized her for not taking me there. When she looked at me with a predatory grin, I realized that accepting the offer to let her take me there directly, and shut up about the topic._

_So. I'm in a frozen wasteland, surrounded by a bunch of angry Humans that look like they can wrestle a grizzly bear, and I have to traverse south to beat in the face of some Norscan war lord, but first I have to prostrate myself like a commoner to Ursen. All this, so I can tell off a horde of Monsters to leave this world. Now, sounds simple right? Well, _wrong_, because I thought so as well, and said I'll do that very thing. However, I decided to teleport there using what information my scrying the lands gave me to navigate. But, apparently there is another dimension which this worlds' gods live in called the Warp, which Morai-Heg and Ursen mentioned. Basically, I ended up in the Warp instead, and my sight was assailed by some drug-fueled technicolor nonsense for several seconds, while the screams of the damned resounded in my ears, and. as a result, I threw myself off course teleporting again to get out and fell out out sky screaming into the middle of a cold as the dead ocean instead._

_When I climbed out, I realized I got jettisoned into one of the shores of Norsca instead as well. Meaning I am now in a frozen wasteland, surrounded by a bunch of Human savage that can wrestle a bear, have to at like some commoner to beg for Ursen to forgive me, and I am wet and cold to boot from being dumped into a sea. I hate this world..._

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**POV SHIFT**

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As the Second Wave of Monsters finally had the last few regiments of soldiers and equipment pour out into the desert of this World, a number of scouting parties had been sent out to see what the current situation was, as well as evaluate what places are weak enough to direct an alpha strike and take to establish a foothold into the Second World. One of them was traveling the path the First Wave went, where the Lilith Sisters had taken a company of Monsters with them. Among it there was only three Elves, all of whom had specially enchanted cloaks to hide their presence by blending into the sands. As they sped towards the path they went down looking like gusts of wind, the trio stopped as they crested over a dune and saw the city where the Lilith Sisters were presumed to have been to have been taken prisoner. They could see the city was being besieged all around, with the Undead fighting off waves of Green Men who were trying to climb the walls on rather shoddy ladders from what the Elves could see. It seemed to be a theme that most of the stuff the Green Men had was thrown together from bits of scrap, and at least several Golems of some kind that resembled them could be seen fighting a number of the Tomb Kings own war constructs.

"By the Dark Goddess..." One of the Elves whispered while fidgeting the small bow she had hidden in her cloak, as they heard the distant chanting of the Green Men trying to break into the city, which was alive with activity "...these people don't pull any punches when moved to war amongst one another. We have been here for a week, and these two are still fighting each other!" The Elf in question then pulled out a telescope, and began panning the walls

"Vel, any particular paths you see that we can enter the city by?" another, named Geminne suggested. She examined the rapier she had, along with a parrying dagger.

"Not quite. So far, these Undead seem to be vigilant in their patrols of the parts of the wall the Green Men aren't coming from, so sneaking in by climbing the wall is not going to be easy depending on how they react to sound. Not impossible mind you, but not easy either. They Jenny, mind examining the magic of this area, see if there are any hidden doorways and traps?" Vel asked of the third Elf, who sat down crossed-legged on the sand as she produced a wand.

"On it." she then started meditating, while the others continued watching the progress of the battle. However, she made a groaning sound, then rubbed at her head.

"What's wrong?"

"The Green Men, they have some sort of magic that is interfering with my scrying. I feel like a thousand of them are pounding drums in my skull, and it was as painful as it sounds to continue scrying in their direction. We'll have to find some way other then... WATCH OUT!" she screamed, tackling Vel as a bolt of green energy fell from the sky in the shape of a fist just above them. Geminne dodged it as well while the fist still fell from the sky, and it blew up the sand around them on impact, causing a shock wave that blew all three Elves out towards the city the fighting was coming from. As they examined the crater left behind, they saw that they were thrown forwards into the border of the magic fists' area of effect. "They have some kind of magic user that was channeling the energy I felt sickened by. I didn't feel there presence until it focused its attention in our area! They know we are here, just not our specific location! We need to keep running, they know they missed, and I can sense several other magic users in the city scrying for us! We should run to the walls, and hope we make it!" she shouted, as they then made a bolt for the city, intending to get close so that any magic cast at them would risk destroying the walls. However, as they ran a sandstorm appeared from behind the wall, and a moment later Vel looked up at the sky, and saw a number of shapes in the sky.

"Arrows incoming!" she yelled, as Geminne created a magic barrier to deflect the volley that fell from the sky. As they were about to drop it, the Elves noticed one of the mummified Undead looking over the wall, and staring where the barrier formed. It was clothed in robes like that of a priest of some kind, and Vel could see it glower menacingly at the bright spot of light, and raised it hand in the direction of it.

"Spell incoming!" the ranger yelled as the priest mummy splayed it's fingers out in their direction, firing several bolts of energy that struck the barrier. Jenny groaned from the strain and nearly fell on one knee, then steadied herself as she took the blast.

"Damn! The arrows were there to get us to reveal ourselves and make the next spell more accurate!" Geminne said. "It's what I'd do!" another blast struck the barrier, and as the Elves flinched at the attack, they heard a noise, which the Undead turned their attention to as the Elves then saw a chariot pulled by boars around the corner, followed by three more. The mummy pointed at the chariots, and snarled something in some language that the Elves didn't understand.

"Now!" Jenny yelled, and dropped the barrier as the Elves ran in three different paths as she and the others wrapped themselves in their cloaks and disappeared. Vel saw the mummy priest turned as this occurred, and his gaze was frantic for a moment, before locking onto something to her left. As it began to channel a spell concentrated on one finger, the Elf scout called out to her sister mage.

"Jenny! Look out!" she yelled, as a ball of fire was cast and struck the sand. At first she thought the mage didn't make it, until Jenny could be seen ditching the cloak and running. She then threw out a bolt of magic of her own, which smashed into the wall where the mummy was. The bones of several skeleton archers could be seen being tossed out from the shock wave, as the Elves ran up the walls using their own magic to enhance their climbing skills, scaling it just as the Green Men came rising after them, and shouted.

"Oi, get bak 'ere ya Knoif-Eard gitz! Dis iz moi lootin ground!" A familiar voice shouted in anger. As the skeleton saw the Elves climbing the destroyed hole they made in the wall, they then drew out a bunch of swords that were at their hips. The Mummy could be seen getting back up, and when the blue lights in its eyes sighted the Elves, it sneered with what looked like rage. As the being growled, Geminne tried to stab it with her rapier, and was blocked off by the skeleton archers attacking her, driving her to back away as it got back up. Vel loosed an arrow immediately at it, which stuck it in the head, and watched it grasped the arrow while being stunned by it. As a skeleton made an attempt to cut her down, Vel side-stepped it and kicked its skull off. When it tried again to attack her, Vel ducked, then swung her arm sideways, breaking the spine of the Undead in two. As the top half collapsed and fell on the lower one, she turned and saw Geminne and Jenny were weaving and dodging. Upon hearing a smashing sound, the Elves saw that several of the animal-headed statues were marching on the walkway of the wall towards them while the archers were moving out of the way.

"Geminne, we're getting out of here and into the city!" Vel cried out. With that, the Elves finally dashed through and around before the statues could reach them, causing the Mummy priest to roar with a grimace of pure anger. As they finally sailed over the wall, the three landed on their feet, and ran into the first building they saw, just in time as the clacking of a volley of arrows struck the building they entered. As the Elves stopped for a breather, Jenny muttered.

"By the Dark Goddess, what in the hell was that?" she said, and as they looked around the room, a bashing sound drew their attention to a door leading to the next one over. When it was bashed down, another skeleton appeared, this one carrying a kopesh which it raised up and charged at the Monsters with. "Oh, for Ancestors sakes!" Jenny yelled, as she cast a energy bolt that blasted it away from them. As it crashed, the skeleton fell apart, only to piece itself back together and get back up. However, the Elves were quick to take advantage of this to escape through the back, and as they ran the sounds of fighting could be heard coming from the wall.

"Sounds like the Green Men have managed to find their own way up." Vel commented. Upon hearing the sound of one of them making a war cry, Vel said "Yep, they did." With that, the Elves turned to run down the street, only to stop as they saw reinforcements for the Undead were rushing to the wall from the other side.

"Oh bugger." Geminne muttered. The sentiment was shared by her as she and her sisters ran out of the street and into an alley way, where they vaulted in between the building walls as the stomping of the Undead grew louder, and reached the roof.

"Ah great, now they can shoot those homing arrows at their leisure at us."

"So run like hell, and don't let them see you." With that, the Elves began to jump from roof to roof, intent on making their way to the pyramid in the center and complete their mission on finding anyone taken captive. After about an hour or so, they reached their destination, but were starting to feel the heat of the sun beating down on them. As they stopped, the Monsters quickly took shade underneath a nearby stable, or at least what appeared to be what was left of it.

"About damn time. By the Goddess, they better not have retained their ability to smell..." Vel whined, sweat dripping from every pore and soaking her top and skirt. As she walked to one of the walls, she leaned against it, and dropped onto the sand with a huff. "...I hate it already."

"What?" Jenny asked.

"The feeling of sand getting on my skin and sticking to it."

"Then why did you sit down there?!"

"My legs couldn't hold me up anymore... this is supposed to be an in and out mission, why do-"

"Will you both shut up?!" Geminne hissed, ducking down from the the window she was looking out of, and proceeded to hide in the shadows. The other two flinched, but did not question her as they hid behind a rotting bale of hay in one of the stalls. After a moment passed, they noticed a horse skeleton behind them, looking at them silently with eerie blue glowing balls of flame in its eye sockets. While it did not make any noise or move, Vel and Jenny were nervous as they heard the door to it open. A clacking sound could be heard, and the Elves shirked back as another one of the Undead walked into their view, carrying a pile of hay in its arms. After a moment passed, it stopped at the stall next to them, and tossed it into the stall, which also had a horse similar to the one that was behind them. As it walked over to the stall across from the one it tossed the hay bale into, the Skeleton walked over to a rotten hay stack, and picked it up. The Elves watched silently as it walked out, not sparing even a glance in their direction. As it disappeared, they followed it with their gaze to where it tossed its cargo into a refuse pile of rotten and spoiled fruits, meats and other foodstuffs they didn't see before running into the building. After wards, it turned and walked off to what appeared to be a storehouse.

"That's not normal. Why would these Undead act like they're living people with physical needs?" the Elf Fencer muttered to herself.

"It must be whatever or whoever is controlling them. Come on, we'll need to go deeper inside the pyramid. There's no way these creatures can communicate from under our noses, since we would've sensed it..." Vel whispered as they approached the shadow of the pyramid, using their cloaks to hide themselves from any guards that would happen to pass by. The trio slowly approached the exit, which had a line of the animal-headed statues. Upon closer inspection, Jenny noticed that there was bone worked into them as well as stone and jewelry, while the heads were typically the actual skull of the creatures in question. Knowing that each one could wake up, she shuddered and caught up with her sisters moving on. She silently whispered a prayer, hoping that would not be the case...

* * *

**POV SHIFT**

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As Minagi walked through the frozen wasteland around her, shivering in the cold chill that made her feel numb all over, especially affecting her wings and thus why she did not risk flying, the Succubus Ancestor Lord held her arms across her chest. A Human would've certainly perished at this point, but Minagi had no need to worry about frostbite. Even so, that did not stop her feeling a misery ay her current plight by made her angry. She knew that wearing some form of thick clothing would help soften the bite, but she was _the_ mother of Succubi! As she tripped on a loose rock, Minagi fell with a screech, but caught herself from face-planting, with only barely.

"Bloody hell, I should've accepted those lessons on manipulating Fire magic as well as Wind, even if it meant less feeding..." the Ancestor Lord muttered as she started to get up, only to pick up a rock with a symbol she did not care to look at or commit to memory, and threw it into the sky like a ballistic missile with a scream in the direction of Norsca. "...YOU ALL SUCK! I'M ACTUALLY THINKING OF WEARING ACTUAL CLOTHING!" Minagi yelled at the top of her lungs towards the no doubt laughing 'Gods' of this world. She was enraged at the continual barrage of insults one after another that started within mere hours of entering this world, and hurled at them a number of other curses that were vile even by her standards, particularly at that Hag and Ilias.

_You are lucky I'm a patient woman, and that Ilias is not here to hear what you just said. _Aforementioned Hag whispered in Minagis' head, earning a low growl. Just as the Succubus Lord was about to retort, she stopped, sniffing her nose as she caught onto a familiar smell of a campfire. As she turned around, following it, she sighted a cave that was perched into the hillside next to the frozen river she had been walking down for at least three hours. With a muttering grumble, she skulked her way to the cave, stomach rumbling as she knew that she would get another meal, and some warmth.

"I can't believe I am about to ask for something to wear. My daughters may wear whatever they want, but I have an image to maintain..." Minagi muttered, staring into the dark yawning mouth of it with some trepidation. She could already imagine the dampness that it would add to her body, and shivered in annoyance.

"Ah to hell with it, it's cold if you do, cold if you don't." the Succubus Lord muttered to herself, and walked into it. "I swear this better be worth it." As she walked in hunched over to leave a smaller profile, the Monster followed her nose down the cave, and while her eyesight was unaffected by the darkness, the feeling of being watched returned. This time it was not the kind that was that of a thousand omnipresent creatures. Several minutes later, she heard a scampering sound, but did not use her magic, sensed she recalled how her fight with the Norscans had shown that most of the populace at least could sense when magic was being used in their presence, instead she went around a corner, and picked up a rock. As she waited, her breath still, she could hear whatever it was approaching the corner trying to hide, though she could hear its breath and footsteps. They were light and small, indications that it was around her size or smaller. While she considered the idea that it might be someone who could help her, Minagi was not taking the chance.

3...

2...

The thing then looked around the corner, and Minagi reflexively smacked it with the hammer, causing the creature to cry out in pain. As it fell over, Minagi ran around the corner, and punched the cloaked figure as it was getting up in the throat, causing a choking noise as it grabbed at its neck. With a quick pull around the corner, she pinned the thing to the wall, and noticed that it was wearing a hood of some kind, which she pulled down. Minagi paused, as she noticed it was some kind of green humanoid with red eyes that was now currently struggling to breathe. Its hooked nose and chin gave the beings face a crescent shape, and Minagi had to look away as the smell from its yellow fanged mouth assaulted her. The robes it wore covered the gibbering thing from head to toe, and it passed out in the process.

"What are you?" she whispered as she dropped it. After a moment passed, she grabbed the small creature, and held up her fingers, allowing her nails to grow. "No matter, I'll find out in due time." with that, she then hacked off the beings' head, and cracking sounds could be heard as she split its skull open to expose its brain. While she was still alone, Minagi too the risk of scrying the cave, and sensed there was nobody else around, and chomped down on the gray matter of the organ she held.

After a moment passed where she noted that it tossed similar to a mushroom, the Succubus Lord leaned back on a wall, waiting for the memories to come to her. "...Hmm, nothing is happening, perhaps I should-" suddenly Minagi twitched, and before she realized what was happening, she started to see a bunch of very vivid and bright colors. "Oh no..."


	32. Chapter 32

**Vermin Tide Quest**

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Chapter 32

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The Nereneids and their maid-servant stared at the newest additions to their company, assessing the two Humans who were staring back with their horse. Cassandra sauntered over to the old man, who gazed impassively with a face that showed no emotion to her in return. As the Queen of the Nereneids as she self-stylized herself moved around him, the Amoeba spoke down to the Chaos Sorcerer, grinning look a lion that found its prey sleeping.

"Well, you are certainly, _seasoned _for a Human. I have had many an adventuring champion of the Goddess known as Illias wander into my homeland, but never have I met a single one who could gaze upon my true form and not tremble, let alone willingly approach three Monster with so little armaments..."

"The Gods and their many gifts are all one needs to defeat your enemies, especially when you are a Sorcerer like me." the old man said, while Lily held up a hand in view of the Monsters. Emily, unerved by his mere presence, and how her mother was not consuming the Humans at this moment moved closer to the Arachnae as Lilys' hand began to twist and turn, the nails growing into claws that were glowing with a hypnotic display of color as her fingers also elongated. Lines of elderitch magic the likes of which Cassandra recognized as having the same origin as the Dark Prince that came to her could be seen flowing into Lilys' arms, and were converging around her now fully formed claws.

Cassandra raised an eyebrow as Lily walked up to a tree, and then widen her eyes as the Human woman clawed into it. The bark was ripped off as though a bear was the one who had struck it, leaving a slightly impressed smile on the head of the Nereneid line, though she had seen greater feats of strength before. After a moment passed, a snapping sound could be heard, as the group watched the wood glow from where it was struck. As they watched it split open, crackling could be heard as the area that was clawed out was slowly turned into some form of stone, which shimmered for a bit before it fell off, leaving a smooth gouge in the tree. Cassandra moved over to it, and picked up the stone, and examined it with some interest, but her face upon looking at them was one of disappointment as it was not special in anyway. Lily examined her nails, and then slashed a blue flower with it.

"What do you-" After a bright flash, she turned to the flower, and then saw it was transformed into one made of a gold stalk, and the head turned into rubies. Cassandra widen her eyes, as the flower collapsed under its new weight after a moment.

"I can't quite control the results yet, but they should speak for themselves." Lily said as she picked it up, and then showed it to the Monsters. Cassandra smiled upon closer inspection, and looked at the two. As she turned back to Emily and the servant that came with them, the Arachnae shook her imperceptibly, causing a frown to appear on her masters' face. As she turned back to Lily however, she resumed her smile.

"So then, this is quite the gift your Gods have given you."

"God, for we worship one known as the Changer." Lily clarified. "As it stands, this is but a small token of what serving the Gods of Chaos can give you." Cassandra let out a chuckle, as she examined the flower.

"Well now, you have made quite the impression." the Amoeba said. "It's quite thrilling to imagine what a partnership between us will bring. Vera?" she asked, turning to the Arachnae. "Mind running on ahead with Emily, while I discuss our alliance with these two travelers?"

"Are you actually going to bring them home?!" Vera said incredulously. "They know our secret, and you are willing to risk-"

"Vera, do as I say." Cassandra said with a more forceful tone. The Arachnae flinched at that, while Emily shuddered at the change in her mothers' mood. As the two left, Cassandra turned back to the two Humans. The Monster sighed with annoyance as she addressed the two Humans. "I hope you forgive my daughter Emily and Vera. Normally, we would've drained you two dry and continued on our day. As it stands, I am the only one who tried to contact your Gods, and thus only I have had the honor of them speaking to me, and telling me of your arrival. As such, you can understand, right?" the old man and Lily both shared a glance, before the old man nodded his head.

"It is understandable why they are not as... welcoming to our arrival. It is not every day that such an event like this ever occurs, so it is new for all of us." he said diplomatically, as the three began walking together after Emily and Vera. "Now, what would be the first question you have for me and my apprentice?" the Sorcerer asked, causing Cassandra to think for a second.

"Well, Lily, you did mention only worshiping one of the Gods of Chaos. Is there any particular reason for that?"

"Hmm, well to explain it simply as my master has put it, the Chaos Gods are... competitive in their relationship with each other. As a result, you are required to pay homage to one, or all of them. Such is their nature, that the Gods, to ensure that those who worship them are worthy of their attention will have them fight each other to ensure we are ready for anything they demand." Lily explained. Cassandra smiled at the thought of that, and already images of her ruling over her own ring of worshipers.

"My, that sounds like quite the gathering. I myself happen to ascribe to similar values of survival of the fittest." Cassandra replied. "And is this something shared by them as well, that the weak deserve to die." the Sorcerer looked at Cassandra for a moment, as he thought to himself about how she had shown more personality for someone that would worship the Blood God. After a moment passed, he did a neutral shrug.

"In a manner of speaking, this is technically true, though they would have their own... interpretations of that kind of mindset. For example, the Chaos God I and Lily worship refers to himself as the Changer of Ways, and the Architect of Fate. His... ideology is centered around him continually altering and manipulating the world around him, like how Lily was able to transmute that tree and flower, though on a far grander scale of course. Meanwhile, his polar opposite, the Grand Father is a god who can be described as death incarnate through plague, decay and rot who intends to being about an eternal circle of life and death through the stagnation that results in it." Cassandra listened intently, as she wanted to know more about it.

As they were about to walk out into the open, Cassandra quickly stopped the group. "Hold on." after a moment passed with her channeling her magic reserves, Cassandras' semi-liquid body parts transformed such that she resembled an elegant woman in a dress of crimson color. "Alright, it's always easier to travel without the distraction of being attacked every five seconds. It just gets tiring after awhile." she explained.

"The Chaos Cults of the Blood God would say otherwise, since their entire purpose in life is slaughtering anything and everything they see, and collecting the skulls of those who they view as having been proven a worthy opponent." the Sorcerer said. "Having people attacking them constantly would be their idea of paradise as a result." Cassandra stopped and stared at him for a moment, then continued following the Humans as they continued on, their horse following behind. She was about to pet it, when the Sorcerer interjected with "Watch your hand around the horse, he bites."

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**POV SHIFT**

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Alice and Luka were currently on their way to Safina, and looked about the plain that was the transition between Natalia and the desert region they were going to enter. As they saw the evidence of recent earthquakes and tremors in the form of cracks and uplifted rocks along the ground, Luka also could see the occasional Skaven banner or piece of equipment, and looked to Alice. As he spoke, Slyph projected her image next to Alice, who he was starting to get used to now that she grew tired of that one song.

"Slyph, Alice, are the Skaven behind this?" he asked as he picked up what looked to be a cloth with Skaven markings of it, a triangular symbol displayed on the center surrounded by a circle of thorns being prominent.

"No, that would be Gnomey keeping the Skaven out of Safina!" Slyph explained, beaming widely with a ditzy smile. "She had been causing small, localized earthquakes to curb their ability to travel around the desert, although due to their numbers, Gnome wasn't able to stop them all from getting into her territory, and she also had to be mindful not to hurt anyone else that could get caught in her attacks."

"Gnome sounds like she is extremely powerful." Luka commented, as he set the banner aside. "Especially if she can do this much damage all the way from Safaru Ruins."

"Well, Gnomey has had to hold herself back, but yes that is right." Slyph said.

"Well, we should move on." Alice said, when a green bolt of light flew next to her head, struck a rock, then exploded, causing her and Luka to duck down in time to dodge three more projectiles which followed it, one of which Slyph deflected with a wind blast just enough that it flew off into a sand dune. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?" she screamed, shocked at how.

"We need to find cover! Luka yelled, as the two ran back the way they came, when an explosive blew out the ground in their path, and the two stopped as a horned version of the Skaven appeared, with a metal face-plate embedded in his skull.

"Those accursed sniper-rats!" he snarled in rage, as Luka drew Angel Halo, while Alice looked about the area she estimated was the direction they were shot at while covering his back. "They are fool-foolish, promised themselves to be the best-best of their caste! Apparently, when one has a Man-Thing and his Mutant Elf-Breeder-Thing to kill-kill, one must do it their self-"

"Why is everything from the Other World confusing me with a First Lord-damned _Elf_ of all the other Monster species! I'm half-snake, which means I am a type of Lamia by Sajas' obsessive tits!" Alice yelled.

"Do not interrupt the great Grey Seer Skit-Slip, future leader of this world and the Under Empire stupid Elf-Breeder!" Alice turned slowly to glare at the Skaven with her eyes starting to glow a bright white in contrast to seeming light sucking dark red of Skit-Slip. As she turned, she could see a horde of what appeared to be the moderately trained Skaven gathered behind the one that dared insult her. Her mouth, normally one which was passive and neutral in expression, was locked in a grimace of contempt and disgust, and her glare made her eyes look like slits, which combined with the way her snake tail turned her torso lent a menacing aura to her countenance.

"Luka, get out of the way... I'll handle this little bastard myself. Go get the 'sniper-rats' as he called them."

"Whuh? HOW?!" Luka cried out, when Slyph appeared.

"Summon me! I can deflect those things they shot at you!" she chimed in

"You barely knocked the first one off course! Besides, what about Alice?" Luka responded loudly, when a dome of ice appeared around her and the Skaven that appeared.

"Only because I didn't expect them to shoot at me! I shouldn't have been visible to them!" Slyph explained. "Besides, Alice hear could easily slice that Skaven or whatever it called itself apart easily. In fact, now is a good time to call on the Wind." with that, Luka took her word for it, and called forth Slyphs' power. As he felt the Wind Element blow around him in a wall that was visible from how it blew various dirt and leaves around, more greens objects struck the wall of wind, and Luka jumped back as they bounced off harmlessly. Luka stopped, and smiled at the display.

"Heh, that would've been bad. Now, to find those snipers..." Luka said.

Meanwhile, Alice faced off against the Grey Seer as Luka ran off, while the Skaven stared back. "Get her!" The Grey Seer shouted, and then the white-furred Skaven charged at Alice screaming with their halberds or swords and shields.

* * *

**[BGM: ORDER OF THE GREY SEERS FROM VERMINTIDE 2]**

* * *

Alice, upon seeing the Skaven rush at her, closed her eyes, then opened them quickly, casting a spell through them which petrified the front rank of the ratmen in place, as well as a splattering of those who were unlucky enough enough to see her eyes, which included the Grey Seer. However, Skit-Slip somehow managed to resist the effect of it, as he started to turn to stone, only for the effects of her Eyes of petrification to start wearing off as he spontaneously began chanting. In the mean time, Alice grabbed a Skaven swordsman by the wrist and shattered it, causing its owner to squeal in pain as she knocked away another with a back hand, then snapping the neck of the first one. As the Skaven tried to surround her, Alice then blew out a gout of fire at her left flank, scorching the Skaven in the area. Without stopping she then turned to see the Grey Seer launch a green electric bolt at her, and barely managed to dodge it, an explosion ringing out as it hit the wall of ice she made to block off the Grey Seer, who had freed himself from the spell Alice put on him from hitting Luka. Shards of ice flew out, as Alice reared up to avoid a swipe from a halberd, and brought herself down to smash the creature in the head with a fist.

The Skaven soldiers' head cracked open upon impact, and as gore splattered her, she slithered along the ground, and picked up one of the dropped weapons the Skaven were wielding, this one a halberd-like weapon which she used to cleave an entire rank of the creatures. Upon hearing a cry of rage, she grunted as one of the ratmen jumped unto her back, and snarled as she felt him bite into her shoulder. With a quick jab, she knocked out that particular pest off. However, a jolt of pain shot along her tail, and Alice cried out in response turning around, she saw her tail had been stabbed by a group of Skaven who managed to reach it with their swords, and were now trying to cut into it. However, due to the poor quality of their arms, her scales were more then adequate protection, leaving only superficial cuts.

Turning back to her front Alice soon saw the creatures were forming up in a circle, so the Lamia held out her weapon such that as she spiraled she cut down a number of Skaven with it who were outside the coil she made. As she wrapped around the ones who made to attack her, Alice proceeded to constrict tightly enough that the screaming ratmen bones' could be heard cracking and snapping as they were crushed together. This in particular made a number of the Skaven pause with fear in their eyes, as Alice stared them down while Skit-Slip prepared another spell without a care of how many of his kin he struck with it. As he discharged it into his own kind, the green ball of Dark Magic bounced from Skaven to Skaven, burning away flesh and bone, the ratmen struck turning into screaming piles of ash. With each dead Skaven, the ball grew more powerful, and Alice was forced to block with her arm, and bit her lip hard enough to break the skin as she felt the energy scorch her body and soul alike, struggling not to cry out in pain.

Meanwhile, Luka was facing a swarm of his own to deal with, hacking and slashing with Angel Halo, sealing Skaven left and right with the sword. He was not faring as well, which could be seen by how ragged he was currently breathing, and he had to keep moving to avoid being shot by the snipers that were targeting him. While Slyph was able to deflect them, the gash on his arm taught him that the wall of wind he had was not a perfect shield, and even then he could feel when a near-miss of several shots happened. It was an odd sensation being able to sense the Wind as it was effected, as he could tell one of the ratmen was about to try and cleave his back, and blocked to respond. He also now could recognize when a new sniper missile was shot at him, and ducked as one such lead ball flew where his head would've been, and into his would-be assailants own instead. Cringing at the thought of being the cause of another death, Luka put the emotion down for now, as he side-stepped several spears that tried to impale him, cutting downwards and chopping their heads off easily. It helped that the wood the shafts were made from was of poor quality, and blew into splinters from the force he put in his hit. Seizing the sight of an opening, he manage to somehow outrun the Skaven as they attempted to surround him just like the ones currently fighting Alice. As he cut down and sealed several more of the Skaven, Luka ran back to Alice, noticing the currently burning line of fire she breathed out. Since he was not able to find the snipers, punctuated by him now ducking under as several more shots flew overhead, and struck a number of the ratmen occupied with Alice instead, Luka took his chances with Alice, and hoping he could reach the wall of ice she erected to block any directed at her. As he rounded the corner of it and hit a Skaven in the back, he then saw the horned Skaven wizard was focused on Alice at the moment as he channeled more of what he saw as black ribbons of energy, darker then the new moon, and giving off a sense of being made of all that was wrong with the world.

_What is that? _Luka asked Slyph, sensing she was familiar with it.

_That, that is Dark Energy. But, something is wrong with it. _Slyph replied. Luka could feel that she was telling the truth, albeit not the whole truth. _Wait, you can see it?! _Luka had to stop for a second as he took in the fact that the Spirit of the Wind did not register that he could see the flow of magic through the world apparently. He was quickly snapped out of it as Skit-Slip suddenly raised his hands in the air, and looked up to see green lighting gathering in the sky above Alice.

"ALICE! LOOK OUT!" Luka screamed, causing the Lamia to look at Luka, then at the sky. Her eyes widen as the bolts were starting to reach the apex of their charging, and she teleported away at the last second before they shot down. The Skaven warriors in the area cried out as the spell blew apart a significant chunk out of their numbers, and Luka covered his eyes as the lighting blinded him. As he lowered his arms, he was shocked at the sight of the Skaven now being scattered all over the landscape, adding to the debris all around them. As he gazed at the sight of the dead, he looked at the now yelling Skaven wizard, who he saw was seething at Luka, and preparing another spell.

"You ruined my spell you foolish Man-Thing, all to save that Elf-Breeder! Why would you even bother saving that Mutant!?" Luka was shocked, as he gazed upon the enraged ratman, and ducked to the side as Skit-Slip shot another bolt of magic, this one hitting a Skaven that tried to back stab Luka. "I'm kill-killing this Man-Thing! He is mine-mine for stealing the blessings of the Horned Rat destined for me-me!" When Luka brought Angel Halo to bear, the Skaven stopped for a moment, and Luka realized he was scrutinizing the sword. As he pointed a finger at it, Skit-Slip snarled "I-I'm going to take-take that warped sword when I'm done with you Man-Thing, even if I have to pry your cold, dead-dead hands to do it." with a cold smile, while Luka tried to maintain his composure at the realization he was not ready to fight this being. Alice then appeared in between the two, then glared at the horde of Skaven that were watching.

Just as they were about to run, she suddenly immolated them, causing Luka to look on, a chill running down his spine at how casually she killed them. As the Lamia turned to look at the Grey Seer, she in a cold, and emotionally repressed voice said "That was a warning to surrender. Cease your attacks upon this world, and return to your homelands at once." Luka was about to comment, when he looked and saw she was hiding one of her arms behind her back. He then gawked at seeing it was bleeding extensively at the palm of her hand, and wondered how she got that wound. It was then he remembered she actively teleported away from that last attack, meaning the Skaven wizard was strong enough to wound her with a previous spell, likely one that had less power put into it. "I will not ask again." The Grey Seer sneered in disdain for a moment, as he then raised a finger.

"Stupid Thing, you think you can intimidate a Grey Seer me after such a pitiful display? I know-know that your arm has been burned-fried by my magic!" Alice scowled. "The power the Horned Rat has blessed me-me with is capable of burning the souls of those foolish enough to challenge I, even you Elf-Thing, and am the destined ruler of Skavendom and the worlds! You and your pets cannot hope to defeat the Skaven Master Race!" with a rage that boiled over in the form of a growl, Alice brought her uninjured hand to bare, and snapped her fingers. A small spark flew out from them towards the Grey Seer, only to crash against a shield he conjured around himself instead. However, the shield then spontaneously exploded, causing a cloud of smoke to cloud Lukas' vision as he felt himself being grabbed by the wrist and pulled close to Alices' chest as she sped off to the right and toward the Grey Seer, intending to dodge whatever attack the Skaven made in retaliation. However, an explosion sounded out as the ground was blown up from underneath her and Luka into the air.

As another swarm of Skaven appeared from the ground, the cloud of smoke obscuring the Grey Seer flared with a black-green light, and Alice realized she could not dodge in time as another attack was made by the Skaven mage. She quickly tossed Luka away from her as a result, and was immediately struck a moment after she tried to block it with a magic barrier and into her stomach, causing the Lamia to shriek as the Dark Magic bolt almost drilled through her shield and into her body.

"Alice!" Luka cried as she landed, writhing in pain from the scorch and ripped skin which was black and bleeding from the attack. He quickly ran over to her, while Alice began to coil up her tail to protect the 'Human-half' of her anatomy with her scales. Luka quickly turned upon hearing the Grey Seer laughing, and saw that a horde of Skaven were about to overrun him. He fell an absolute chill for a few moments, when the ground suddenly dropped underneath the ratmen, causing them to fall into a pit. A Skaven brought up the multi-barreled weapon he was carrying, just before the hail of projectiles was fired at Luka, the ground shot up into a wall at several meters thick, blocking the shards of green rock it was shooting out at the two. Alice and Luka looked around in confusion, when a small girl like figure caught their attention.

* * *

**[BGM ENDS]**

* * *

She was around waist-high to Luka, with green and brown clothing, starting with a hat with two tassels that ended in white balls akin to cotton. Her main clothing was a dress with an earthen tone, atop which she wore a partial pale green jacket that covered her arms to her wrists due to the sleeves being rolled up to show a number of golden stars, chest, and had a collar that covered where her mouth. She also wore a golden trim, as well as what looked to be a brown padded vestment upon her shoulders, which wrapped around her neck. Her dress exposed her legs from the knees down, which so far was covered with stocking that went up and under the dress, while her feet were clad in shoes the same colors as the rest of her clothes. Her hair was a muted earthy color, while her skin was similar to that of Slyphs, and she stared at the others with eyes that were an emerald green. Slyph cried out with excitement upon seeing her, practically giddy at seeing her kindred.

"GNOMY!" she cried out, as the Spirit of the Earths' eye twitched as her extroverted counterpart appeared. However, before the conversation could continue, the Skaven Grey Seer screamed.

"YOU!" they turned to see the grey-furred ratman had a look of vehement hate and anger, his eyes focused on Gnome. "YOU'RE THE DAEMON-THING THAT DARED TO BE A THORN IN MY-MY SIDE!" he shrieked in rage with a finger pointed at her. "I am going to kill-kill your form, and sending you scream-shrieking back into the Warp where you belong!" with that, he started to channel his magic, when a number of small, petite arms made of clay burst from the ground followed by what looked like dolls made of the same material, while similar instances cropped up around the Skaven horde.

Within a mere split-second, the Grey-Seer was forced to back down from his spell casting, while a large melee started between the Skaven and Gnomes' creations. Within moments, the Skaven were forced to focus their attentions to the grabbing and grasping hands of her dolls, and it was not a contest that they had the upper hand. The ratman that tried to gun down Luka and Alice for example, upon seeing a crowd of them rushing at his flank, turned and fired upon them. He began to cackle wildly in excitement, his hail of the green stone the Skaven sought shattering the clay figurines by the dozens as he swept back and forth across their ranks. The Skaven foot soldiers also were running rampant among these new things that were pulling on their fur and tails, beating down and striking down the earthen dolls whilst cursing and screeching in anger. Pieces of mud and dirt were spraying all over the place as they hit, kicked, clawed, bit, and chopped them apart, even the smallest among their number more then towering over the figurines.

As another tunnel burst and drew the attention of Alice and Luka, Gnome merely glanced at it as the Skaven who dug it began to climb out. However, Gnome clapped her hands while her eyes shone, and the ratmen screamed as the hole slammed closed, their cry of terror cut short as the sickening sound of crunching emitted from their bodies along with the dull thump of the earth closing on them. Alice made a groaning sound of pain as she tried to get up, and Luka quickly ran to the Lamia.

"Alice! By Illias.." he muttered, as the Monster Lord clutched at her abdomen. Gnome looked at her, and her eyes seemed to narrow, then widened in shock. Luka realized upon remembering what Slyph said about her not getting all the Skaven, and realized the Earth Spirit had been traveling Safina, where she could more accurately fight the Skaven as well as exert better control over her powers. As he examined the growing battle,he also saw that the small Mud Dolls Gnome was creating were slowly gaining the upper hand, as for ten the Skaven destroyed, Gnome replace with twenty more, not counting the fact that the destroyed pieces were growing into newly formed ones. As a result, the Skaven were wearing themselves out, while the Grey Seer was blasting away chunks of the road and plains as more tried to swarm him, unknowingly exposing more of the earth from which Gnome was using to attack the Skaven. The Earth Spirit then examined Alice, who flinch at the merest touch to her stomach. Luka and Slyph watched on, as Gnome turned to Slyph. Luka heard a faint whispering in his head, and looked around.

"Gnomy says that we need Undynes' assistance for Alices' wounds." Slyph said nervously. We must carry her to an oasis."

"Eh?" Luka asked, as Gnome did say a word. He then realized that the whispering must've been Gnome communicating with Slyph. "Where would the closest one be?" He asked, then turned to see that Gnome was concentrating on the ground, which soon began to rumble. As it rose, a set of fingers emerged from the ground, and Luka realized the chunk of earth he and Alice were on was in the shape of a hand.

"Whah?! Gnomy, when did you have the ability to form a giant version of the Mud Doll?!" Slyph asked, earning a deadpan stare from Gnome. "...Dumb question?" Gnome nodded.

"Wait, what about the snipers?" Luka asked, while the Skaven could be heard screaming in terror and running away.

"Gnomy already took care of them. She was drawn to that Skaven wizards' repeated use of magic, and came here in an attempt to stop him." Slyph explained after a bout of whispering went into Lukas' mind.

"NO! NO!"

"Speaking of which..." Alice mumbled under her breath, as the Grey Seer shouted in rage while being dog piled by the Mud Dolls. Luka helped her up as she winced trying to get up, allowing the Lamia to move closer to the palm of the hand Gnome was forming without dragging her torso.

"YOU WILL NOT GET AWAY FROM ME-ME!" Gnome immediately opened a fissure under neath the Skaven Grey Seer as he tried to cast a spell, causing him to scream in impotent rage into the depths of the earth. With that, the giant Mud Doll had finished forming, and proceeded to walk onwards to their destination. As it stomped onwards, Luka stayed near Alice, holding her hand while Slyph flitted about near Gnome, who was now sitting cross-legged as she held a Mud Doll in her hands.

"How are you doing?" Luka asked Alice, who was laying down face up.

"Like my guts have been deleted, and I my left arm is screaming in pain, as well as having the need to vomit." Alice complained. As she tried to left her head, the Lamia gasped in pain as her right hand grabbed unto her forehead.

"Alice?"

"By the First, blocking that first spell was a stupid idea." she snarled, her face contorted in anger. Luka recoiled, as she had an aura of pure rage, which faded away into sullen depression. "Damn it all. I can not let the others see me like this." she muttered miserably, her mood swing not doing much to steady her companions' nerves.

"Why not? Don't Monsters have doctors and or mages specialized in healing?" Luka said, surprised when Alice looked at him with confusion.

"Doctor?" she asked. Luka stared incredulously.

"Yeah, a Monster who is dedicated to medicine and the curing of diseases as a profession. In Human society, many doctors are even specialized for taking care of the various parts of the body, such as development of cures against disease." Luka explained, when his eyes became downtrodden at the memory of his mother. Alice then stared silently, then shook her head. Lukas' eyes widen in shock. "Monsters don't have doctors, or an equivalent to them?"

"No, like I said when we were on that ship to Sentora, Monsters never get sick nor do poisons afflict them. As a result, we never had a need for these 'doctors' as you can them. The closest I can think of is when a Monster village appoints one of their own to assist with her fellow peers when they are pregnant and ensure their newborn daughters have no complications coming into the world."

"We call those nurses midwives in Human villages and cities." Luka said. When he saw Alice staring at him, he added "Nurses are a type of assistant doctor. Typically they are as apprentices being trained in how to do their fields, though also handle that can of stuff as well."

"Why aren't midwives doctors? Do Humans consider that less of a priority?"

"N-no, they just tend to handle health problems that are more immediate and require a more experienced hand, like if a village is struggling with its people getting a plague, while the nurses are to take care of the patient after wards and ensure everything runs smoothly. Delegation of duty and all that." Alice nodded her head.

"I think I have an idea. To add onto that however, the culture most Monsters grow up in would not... tolerate such a profession, particularly some of the oldest ones I can think of that have accused me and my ancestors of breaking our peoples' traditions." she admitted.

"Why not?"

"Because Monsters are a race where might makes right. As a result, if I was injured, they might get the idea in their heads that I, who is supposed to be the strongest, and thus mightiest of them all, am not worthy of the title of Monster Lord. This attitude was particularly prevalent in the olden times, where the Monsters from that time would more likely kill their fellow Monster if she was weakened with injury. I can already imagine one Monster in particular who I banished due to being an extremist in this philosophy. Cassandra Nereneid." Alice explained.

"Who is Cassandra?" Luka asked. When Alice seemed to shudder at the question, Luka felt a chill down his spine.

"...Short answer, a traitor who tried to take the throne of the Monster Lord from my mother, and then me after she passed away." Alice said. "In more detail, she is a Monster who is part of what Humans could call a noble family known as the Nereneids, who lineage as far as I know was around since the Fifth Lord at least, who grew to hate my family, the Fateburns over the course of the centuries since the Great Monster War. They were known to vocally challenge the right of my ancestors to lead the Monster races, as they overtime started to enact changes that to this day have slowly made Monsters less and less violent. The Nereneids, who were staunch fanatics due to believing they were the daughters of the Monsters who endured the worst of the Great War on our side, should be the ones to rule, both over Monsters and Humans, as they deemed us too soft towards Humans. Their belief is that Humanity was meant to be subjugated and enslaved to Monster society, while we had slowly been trying to establish a reign of coexistence with the so-called 'lesser race' of Humanity." Luka frowned, as he already had an idea of what they sounded like.

"Like the fanatics that Lazarus leads, only they wanted to be tyrants, not exterminators." Alice scowled bitterly at the comparison

"Unfortunately, yes. When my mother became the Monster Lord however, the feud between our families came to a head when Cassandras' mother challenged her for the right to rule the throne. The Nereneids were always powerful to at least put a fight the Fateburns , but she had somehow gained a massive power boost that was unexplainable when she fought my mother, though even then my mother still won due to having learned magic, as well as the Aqua Pentagram spell, while her mother never trained herself in magic. Later on, rumors had been circulating concerning the disappearance of every single member except for her and Cassandra, which lead to a massive investigation into their estate." here, Alice swallowed, and her face was visibly disturbed. "What was found was that Cassandras' mother had cannibalized her own family, except for Cassandra, and we found their remains only because she had been slowly consuming their corpses, as well as feeding them to her daughter, so that she could build up the strength to defeat my mother." Luka was horrified by this, as he never seen Alice in such a emotional state at what she described.

"By the Goddess." Luka muttered. Alice nodded, surprisingly agreeing with him on that.

"After it was discovered, most of the Monsters who supported her were shocked and withdrew their support, as our true creator, the First Monster Lord explicitly forbid this practice, as well she would allow her creations to fight each other for whatever reason they so desired, one of the few commandments she gave was to never harm ones family. As a result, my mother banished the Nereneids from Hellgondo, and had their confiscated, and also had those few who still supported her banished as well, as it was also discovered they played a role in keeping it a secret." Alice examined her charred hand, which was covered with burn wounds. "As far as I know, Cassandra Nereneid disappeared into the wilderness after her mother passed away, and has not been seen since. But if there is anything I do know, she is most definitely out there."

As Alice finished speaking of the Nereneid family, Luka didn't have anything to say, as the Mud Doll giant marched on silently. It was then he felt Slyph become distracted by something, and turned to see Gnome was also seemingly occupied by something.

* * *

**POV SHIFT**

* * *

Teclis was currently scrying the lands around him for the flow of the Winds, and could feel a massive disturbance beyond Hellgondo. As he sat cross-legged in one of the towers in meditation, he had sent out his spirit with the intent of finding Balthasar and warning him, but sensed the leader of the Human Magisters was already falling back to the castle at the time, likely having guessed what had happened. The High Loremaster was about to end it there when he felt the disturbance of what felt like Chaos magic, and what also felt like a pulse in the very ground itself, not unlike that which indicated the Slaan in Lustria becoming active and using magic through that network of magic located in the western lands. Realizing the latter must've been what the Angels refer to as Gnome, he drew upon his power, and focused on Sentoria, scouring it for the next half-hour or so. It was a curious thing, feeling the reflections of the Four Spirits, as he noticed they were like unto those of the Elements they embody. Slyph, for example, felt like a storm contained within a shell, but was simultaneously light and faint as a breeze, while the one named Salamander was an inferno, yet to be released within the spark that was the Fire Spirit itself. Teclis made a mental note about how it felt like what it did to be near an Elemental that was created and summoned by Elementalists, whose magic was basic and primitive compared to the Winds. Here, it was the opposite, where the Winds still contain power yes, but was subdued in terms of being able to unleash ones full might, while the Elementals that were the Four Spirits were the dominant form of magic. Not only that, but he could tell they were genuinely sapient and capable of sound mind and personality, even if their mindset was like unto the Monsters.

Reminding himself that there was intelligence to gain and convey to Balthasar Gelt about Sentoria, he turned his attention to the continent. His mind gazed upon the landscape, sensing out the Warp mirror of the settlements on it, and that of the Humans and Monsters that reside. He was curious concerning how the Monsters could endure such a high level of the Tainted Wind of Dhar as he found them to be, and continued combing through the land. Scanning what amounted to the northern coast of Sentora, Teclis could sense how spread out, and dangerously prolific the Monster populations were, such as a particular cluster that lived isolated from the rest of Sentoria, where he could sense the Humans there emitting, to Teclis' disgust, feelings of piety and lust into the Warp towards said Monsters as opposed to the rest, which varied from fear, to hate, to perverted desire. Even in the depths of the ocean, he could make out the Dark Magic of the Monsters prowling the depths for food, hunting down whatever life dwelled their with them. Meanwhile, he could pick up a number of what must be settlements, with signatures that were but dim matches of light. Among the heavy concentrations of Monsters.

_Humans... no doubt about it. _Teclis thought to himself. _Once I get my hands on a map of what the world looks like, I could most definitely work out what these places are, and where the more hidden nests are in relation to these settlements in logistical terms for any armies sent to purge the Monsters... hmm, I can almost- _Teclis then flinch upon picking up on a diversion of attention from the Spirits.

_Who are you? _One of the Spirits asked, her voice demanding and harsh. After a moment, Teclis sighed, realizing they were addressing him. _You're definitely not a Monster, nor one of those Imperials._

_It appears you are more sensitive to the flows of magic then I at first anticipated. As for introductions, I am High Loremaster Teclis, son of Arathion of the Line of Aenarion, Warden of the White Tower. _Teclis replied, as he could place the voice of the Spirit that was aggravated by him as the Fire Spirit Salamander.

_HI!~_

_Shut up, we don't know who he is and what he is doing with the Humans!_

_Aw, but Mandy, he is introducing himself, it can't possibly hurt to introduce ourselves. _Teclis couldn't help but smile at the almost child-like mannerisms Slyph displayed, even though he still steeled his mind should the Four Spirits try anything.

_Slyph!_

_She has a point you know... it is rude to make me introduce myself and not perform the same courtesy yourselves. _Teclis could feel their attention shift to him. A cheerful aura emitted from the Wind Spirit as she chimed up cheerfully.

_See, Teclic... Tecla..._

_Teclis._

_Teclis hasn't tried to hurt anyone since meeting with that golden masked man. _Slyph complained.

_Yet. _Salamander pointed out. _Not to mention his possible affiliation with the _Angels _of all things, as well as slaying Monsters like Gelt and his troops._

_Who would have done far worse to us. If there is one thing they were lucky in encountering me, is that my twin brother Tyrion did not come with me, such as it is that he is more then occupied keeping the homeland of my people safe from those who would harm them._

_...He does have a point. My name is Undine._

_Undine! _Salamander shouted. _Of all things, you agreed with him?!_

_Well, we can't exactly blame them for defending themselves from the more sadistic Monsters, even if the Humans go too far in their measures like polluting Slime habitats... _the Water Spirit said. _Even then, that is because they no longer have the Druids to teach them to respect nature._

_What do you mean? _Teclis asked.

_Undine. _Salamander protested before her counterpart replied, when a faint whispering passed through Teclis, and the three Spirits he was conversing with. _...Alright, fine Gnome, let's just spill all the secrets and knowledge that was entrusted to us. Not like these people are actively sabotaging everything that we have been waiting for since Heinreich slew Black Alice. Maybe we can also tell him about the Beelzebubs afterward!_

* * *

**[SFX: DARKEST DUNGEON RESOLVE CHECK FAILED]**

* * *

Slyph exclaimed loudly in horrified disgust, and Teclis swore he felt her shiver while Gnome made a gagging sound.

_SALAMANDER, WE SWORE NEVER TO TALK ABOUT THOSE THINGS EVER! WHAT THE HELL!? _A moment of silence passed between the Spirits, as Teclis sensed they were focused on Undine, whose aura withered at the sudden outburst. _Uuuggh, I must bleach my eyes now... _She murmured, as her voice went silent once more.

_Who are the-_

_**We don't, and **_**won't**_** talk about **_**them**. Undine interrupted bluntly.

_...But why?_

_**A̷l̴l̶ ̷y̷o̴u̷ ̸n̷e̷e̴d̸ ̵t̵o̷ ̸k̵n̶o̸w̵ ̶a̶b̷o̸u̸t̴ ̸t̸h̸e̴m̶ ̷i̷s̵ ̵t̵h̷e̸y̷ ̷a̶r̴e̵ ̸o̴n̸e̵ ̶o̸f̵ ̶t̷h̴e̸ ̵f̶e̷w̸ ̵t̵h̴i̸n̸g̸s̵ ̶t̸h̷a̴t̸ ̴w̶e̸r̷e̵ ̶m̶a̵d̷e̸ ̸b̴y̶ ̵t̵h̸e̵ ̴D̴a̶r̸k̵ ̷G̵o̵d̷d̸e̸s̶s̴'̶s̶ ̶h̵a̷n̵d̴s̷ ̴t̸h̴a̶t̷ ̴s̷h̵e̴ ̷s̴h̸o̵u̸l̷d̷'̸v̷e̵ ̸d̷e̶s̸t̷r̷o̴y̸e̶d̸ ̴f̵r̶o̷m̷ ̶t̸h̷e̸ ̶v̸e̷r̸y̶ ̵m̶o̵m̷e̶n̶t̷ ̴s̶h̸e̷ ̷r̶e̶a̵l̷i̶z̶e̴d̸ ̷w̷h̵a̶t̴ ̷s̴h̴e̵ ̶m̴a̴d̵e̶ ̵i̴n̶s̷t̸e̴a̴d̵ ̵o̶f̸ ̵c̶u̷r̸s̷i̶n̸g̶ ̷t̸h̴i̷s̶ ̵w̸o̴r̵l̴d̴ ̴w̸i̴t̴h̶ ̸t̸h̷e̶i̴r̷ ̴p̷r̵e̷s̵e̵n̴c̸e̴.̵ **_she replied, giving off the feeling of a tumultuous sea as her voice was distorted to reflect her repressed anger at continuing the conversation about them. Teclis, knowing that the Monsters that were already horrible enough, felt that it was best not to pry into what they deemed too much. Yet.

An awkward silence then passed, which only dampened the mood of the Spirits who were now no longer in the mood to speak. _Well, I guess I should bring up what I'm doing. _Teclis said. _Currently, I sensed the presence of the worshipers of Chaos, and have been going through the landscape to comb through it and find them._

_Like the Skaven? _Slyph asked.

_That, and also a potentially dangerous Human Black Magister, a practitioner of the same form of magic the Skaven use that was once a part of the Imperial Colleges of Magic, as well as help Balthazar Gelt return to the Empire of Man._

_Black Magister?_

_An Imperial Wizard who betrayed his oath to the Empire by practicing the lore of Dark Magic and its forms, though they are not the only ones who are tempted into using it. Such individuals are hunted down with extreme prejudice, for even one can cast massive, city-wide destructive spells if they are not put to the sword. _The Four Spirits conversed with each other, then turned to Teclis.

_We have been aware of an individual who might match what you are looking for. Though we have been unable to do anything about him, due to the Skaven running around and diverting our attentions. _Undine explained. Teclis took in the information, his mind going through the unintentional gold mine of intelligence these entities have given him, which he was convinced were at least partially involved with the Warp. And while it is true that every Daemon is a creature of the Warp, not all creatures of the Warp are Daemons, with the Four Spirits being an example of the latter, as was clear in their interactions, for they felt like he talking with a being of that hellscape of unreality, they were clearly free of the taint of Chaos and Dark Magic. Likely the equivalent of lesser divinities worshiped by the Monsters and Humans perhaps? _You also plan on taking Balthazar and his troops away from Hellgondo?_

_That is correct. As Supreme Patriarch, the lost of leadership in the Empire has caused havoc for the morale of its armies, as he is capable of amplifying the use of magic for its Magisters, those who licensed to perform magic within the Empire. _Teclis responded, which was half true._ This was also why we had been making contact with the Angels, since they are interested in fighting against Chaos. Unfortunately, he has become, well... insistent on neutralizing any potential threats that can come from this world into ours first, especially after finding out about the men in the dungeon._

There was a distinct whispering between the Four Spirits, who Teclis could feel were trying to decide if he was trustworthy. After a moment passed, the Spirits turned their attention to Teclis. However, before they could respond, Teclis felt the shifting of a Daemon of Chaos within the Warp moving through the Immaterium, and then turned to dace it as his mental defenses against the onslaught to come were brought to bear. It was then he recognized the wave of laughter the Neverborn projected. It was a malicious chortle, and the Daemon radiated an aura of sadistic thoughts, and hatred for Teclis himself personally. Teclis then knew right then and there the creature in question.

_N'Kari! _He then physically tightened his grip on his staff, while the Four Spirits recoiled at the sudden intrusion. He could tell they had never seen a Daemon before, as the Elementals were horrified by the Greater Daemon of Slaanesh, especially one as powerful as N'Kari who swore to exterminate all of Aenarions' descendents as vengeance for his defeat at the hand of the first of Phoenix Kings.

_**Well now,if it isn't little Teclis. You have certainly made quite the journey for yourself since the last we met. **_The thing sneered mockingly, as Teclis remembered the Rape of Ulthuan, when N'Kari had led a Daemonic invasion on the island home of the High Elves six thousand years after his personal defeat at the hands of Aenarion, singling members of the populace at random, killing them, and then leaving even if it was minutes away from victory. The Keeper of Secrets' motives were not discovered until late in the carnage by a number of Loremasters who delved into the past to find out why. Teclis and Tyrion, who were but children at the time had then been taken to the Shrine of Asuryan, which was one of the few bastions remaining. All the others were either dead, or were lucky enough to have been far from Ulthuan in foreign lands, and thus the High Elves could tell N'Kari was not going to leave the holy site until he slew the two and prepared from battle. Remembering the horrors sent a chill down Teclis' spine, as N'Kari chuckled.

_Begone from my sight Daemon. _Teclis demanded.

_**Not likely, after trudging all the way through the Warp to find out where you ran off too after you managed to disappear from my sight. And oh my, what did I find in this world? A rather interesting bunch of Mutants, with the most lovely of souls. They are quite the decadent creatures, especially the races that fancy themselves to be so-called Daemons, even if they are but a false parody me and my kind.**_

_What the fuck are you?! _Salamander exclaimed upon sensing the wave of disgusting desire the Daemon radiated as it spoke.

_**Ah yes, you must be Salamander, the 'Great Spirit of Fire' who is master of the Element for which you are named. That must mean you are Slyph, Gnome, and Undine. Well now, I do believe you Teclis are not here just for retrieving that Human Balthazar Gelt... you haven't been here for more then a day, and already you happen to quite the potential harem. I wonder what your brother would say about you communing with fellow beings of the immaterial realm, and ones that have quite the... exotic appetite. **_Teclis scowled at the Keeper of Secrets, as normally the Daemon wouldn't seek to waste either of their time with trying to get a reaction out of him like this.

_Oi, what do you mean? We never met before! _Salamander said. N'Kari did not respond, simply continuing his inane ramblings to Teclis. _Hey, I'm talking to you freak! _Salamander called out to N'Kari, growing increasingly annoyed with Slaaneshs' Daemonic general ignoring her and her companions.

_**And I have no reason to listen to you. You are not of import to me... for now. **_N'Kari said, his threat having an effect on making the Spirits back down for a moment. **_Now, where was I? Ah yes, I suppose I should be preparing for when I next enter the Material Realm, since you are lucky I cannot end your sorry existence in this world. Or Realms, I should say. Give your brother my regards, for next time you won't be around to save him, nor he you... _**with that, N'Kari left, and Teclis began to exit his meditation as well, let his senses return to normal.

_Wait Teclis, what are you doing? Don't you want to play a game with us? _Slyph cried out. Teclis could feel that it was genuine sadness the Wind Spirit had, but that didn't stop him from continuing on, especially with what this world was like.

_No, that _**thing **_ruined my mood for entertainment. _Teclis replied, before he cut himself off from her reaction. The High Loremaster then got up, his body making a creaking noise as he moved from his position. After getting up, he walked over to a table where he had the potion for his pain kept, and took a drink from it. As the bitter concoction slid down Teclis' throat, he felt his body become invigorated, while a knock on the door to the room he was in drew his attention.

"Enter." as the door opened, one of the Sword Masters, Hapricorn walked in with a tray that had two bowls of food, notably some kind of pasta with a tomato-based sauce based on the smell. He was brown of hair and eyes, and Teclis could see him looking about the room for any potential threat to Teclis, mostly out of habit of course, since the High Loremaster would've known long before he did of anything intending harm to his person. "What's this?" the Elven wizard asked as Hapricorn set a table.

"The red-headed Angel Promestein called it spaghetti or something to that effect. One of her Angels has been in the kitchen of this castle, and has been cooking meals for us while Promestein herself went to discuss ideas for the event Chaos finally makes its move with Balthazar." Hapricorn said with disinterest, his voice emotionless and blunt. The Sword Master took off his helmet as he sat down across from his charge, and set it aside along with his weapons, and proceeded to prepare to pray to the Cadai. After noting that Teclis had taken his seat and waited for Teclis to take off his own helmet and sword, Hapricorn proceeded to fold his hands, speaking in the Language of the Asur as he did so. Teclis, out of respect to his more pious bodyguard also did the same, as he felt the way the Warp twist and turned from his communion with the Gods of Ulthuan.

* * *

**POV SHIFT**

* * *

Promestein was walking to the personal library of Monster Lord Alice, where Balthazar had once again isolated himself from the rest of the castles current occupants. According to that one Imperial she inquired about this, Hans, this was fairly normal behavior of the Magisters to be separated and isolate themselves, especially when performing research and experiments like the Gold Order was known for. As a result, while she was walking to see Balthazar with a basket in hand to engage in the topic of preparing for the war to come, she thought back to her own life, and the solitude she also craved from the others. Especially after what happened to her as a result of her time in Tartarus.

It was at least five centuries before the Great Monster War had been declared by Illias, when the Druids were first deployed to perform their duties of being the guardians of those Humans Illias had made as part of a pact she had made with the Glades, those who dwelled as spirits of the forest, and whom were here long before the Goddesses themselves first discovered this world. Promestein, even back during all those millennium that passed, was known for her curiosity and lust for knowledge through experimentation, something that eventually her fellow Angels came to become interested in as her fellow Angels would watch her work in her lab that Illias provided.

However, she would then remember when the reports from the Druids of Monsters attacking them and their fellow Humans began to surface, as it slowly became apparent that the Monsters, who the Dark Goddess and First of their Lords created, had started becoming more and more unstable. Not only that, but male Monsters became more and more rarely seen, and apparently, much to the absolute disdain and disgust from their progenitors polar opposite the only thing that kept them alive was semen, something that was built into their vary biology. Combined with their simplistic view of 'Might makes Right' that the Dark Goddess had raised them under, the Monsters had begun to turn and actively attack Human settlements to survive. Illias, at the time much more even-tempered and more willing to accept letting the Monsters live due to this being no fault of their own, then tried to communicate through the Druids to convince her to stop so that a solution could be made. However, the Dark Goddess, ever the more belligerent of the two rejected this, and sat back doing nothing about it other then hunting down those who Humans and Druids which actively tried to do something about it. As a result of her hunting down any who fought back aggressively, the Monsters became ever emboldened and encouraged to perform their own 'hunts' for prey.

Eventually, as Promestein was working in her lab, she could remember when Lucifina, eldest of the Angels personally came to her. It was at this point that her thoughts had turned. Upon remembering that traitors' name Promestein clutched her hand tightly in rage, walking on in a stupor of repressed emotion that was not played out on her face. Her vermillion eyes staring at the floor, Promestein continued on walking, when the voice of one of Balthazars' Greatswords stopped her. "Fraulein, is something the matter?" she looked up as she was caught off guard, and found three of the Imperial versions of Knights staring at her.

"No, I was just... deep in thought." Promestein said, which was true enough. The Human looked her over, then at the basket. After he seemed satisfied with what he saw, the Imperial turned and knocked on the door. After a moment passed, it opened to reveal Balthazar, who turned his head to his guard, then Promestein. As the Angel showed the basket she brought with her, Gelt nodded.

"Ma'am." the Supreme Patriarch said as he held the door open for her, to which Promestein accepted. As the door closed behind them, Promestein immediately noticed that the Human had been looking into history books, as well as at a number of alchemy symbols. "So, what do you want to discuss?" Balthazar asked, getting straight to the point as he cleared a table off, and began to put some books on the shelf.

"Well, I would like us to get to know more about each other." Promestein said. "Since if this becomes official and we pool our resources together for what we have planned, it would be best if we have some familiarity. Both you and I, as well as our respective subordinates." Gelt nodded as he placed a book.

"I can see the logic in that. How would you like to go about it by one of us asking a question, then the other after they answer? You can go first." Balthazar offered, as he looked at the title of a book. "Hmm... that one actually goes in that section there." with that, he went over two sections to the left, then back again.

"Ok then." Promestein replied after a second or two passed. She then watched him move about the personal library of the Monster Lord, and said, "Have you started to figure out this worlds' written language? You seem confident that you know where all these books are supposed to go to..."

"Well, when one is a practitioner the Winds of Magic, they tend to visibly change you in a variety of ways. In my case, my use of Chamon, the Wind of Metal has led to me developing a mind capable of recalling what I saw to a near-perfect degree, as well as an attention to detail and the capabilities of my enemies that served me well in slaying Erubetie, and in waging war against the enemies of the Empire. I was also able to more or less form a picture in my mind of how your language is structured. But unfortunately, or fortunately in the case of some of the images I saw in these, no, it does not help in actually learning the meaning of the words." Balthazar stopped after processing Promesteins' question further, and then turned to the red-haired Angel herself. "The worlds' written language, as in only one?"

"Yes..." the two then looked at each other, an awkward silence settling in the room. "How many languages are their in your world?"

"I can recall four off the top of my head. And that is just for the Empires' own Reikspiel, the Dwarfs who speak in Khazalid when not in the presence of outsiders, the High Elves who have another language of their own, and then Bretonnia, another Human nation which has its own history." Gelt replied, as Promesteins' eyes widened. "There's at least several dozen or so languages that developed, since most of the early Human tribes that first founded the present day nations like the Empire were often isolated from one another. As the first nations emerged however, that was when our speech became more formalized." Balthazar explained. Promestein then watched as he took up another book and put it away. "Now that I think about it, what is this world like beyond Hellgondo and its mountain ranges?" Promestein shrugged.

"Not much to say about it, other there are two more continents, Sentoria and Ilias continent. To summarize the population distribution of Humans and Monsters, the farther up north you go until entering Hellgondo itself, the stronger the Monster populace gets and the more sparse Human-only villages become. In fact, much of the settlements that are in Sentorias' upper northern half are purely Monster populations, with a few which had Human minorities in them. Yamatai is one of the more mixed populated areas were it is the opposite, as it was a town of Humans who were isolated by a mountain range, and have grown to worship its small in size Monster population, with Tamano the Kitsune Knight of Earth being its main leader. You already met her, she was the child-like Monster with the fox tails that accompanied Alma Elma and Erubetie." Gelts' body language frowned at the image he formed in his head as too what worship of the Kitsune Knight entailed. "So far, that is all I have to say for now about the north. Down further to the center east of Sentoria, Humans and Monsters are relatively even in population, with a considerable quantity of settlements having a kind of... balance is not quite the word, but is close to it. Until recently that is."

"What happened?" Balthazar asked, to which Promestein took a moment to think about her response.

"Well, you and your men, when they ended up in Hellgondo and made your... considerably aggressive and explosive first contact with the Monsters, it has caused contentions that have been growing within the Monster populace to flare up. To summarize quickly, Tamano is one of the oldest Monsters around, and had been calling for her kind since at least several hundred years to... re-evaluate their principles and treatment of Humanity. As you have no doubt seen, even a single Monster can out-match dozens, even hundreds of Human soldiers. To give an example, you know Granberia, the Dragon with the giant sword?" Balthazar nodded. "She once put the capital of Ilias continent under siege on her own. Her intent for doing so was to destroy the Great Temple there, as it is the center of the faith centered around Illias the Goddess of Light in an attempt to demoralize those who were made Heros, Humans chosen to Monsters in Illias' name."

"Wait, who named the land there Ilias?" Gelt asked.

"...Illias did. The capital was also named Iliasburg." Promestein said, the sigh of disappointment Balthazar made echoing her own expression on sharing that little tidbit as the Supreme Patriarch placed a hand on his palm.

"If Granberia tried that with the Cathedral of Sigmar in Altdorf, the capital of the Empire where it resides as our version of the Great Temple, all she would've done is ensure that the Empire of Man would arm itself for war against the Monsters, and not accept anything short of either her head being brought on a platter to the Grand Theogonist, or when every Monster being driven out of its domain or exterminated. And that is if she made it to said Cathedral to begin with." Balthazar said. "I suppose it is your turn to ask a question now." Promestein smiled as the two shared a laugh, then Gelt noticed that the table was set with what looked to be two dinner plates and silverware. As Promestein poured wine into a cup of glass that shone faintly from a bottle, Balthazars' curiosity could be seen as he sat down. Though that wasn't what drew his attention, it was the small stove that had appeared in the center of the table, and the meat and cut vegetables that could not possibly fit into the basket, as well as the fact the stove was built into the table.

"Trade secret." Promestein teased lightly, amused by the expression Gelt gave upon looking at her. "I suppose my next question would be, how was the Empire founded? The Imperials had often called Sigmar and referred to him as having been the 'Uniter of the Tribes,' and the 'First Emperor.'"

"Ah, that is a surprisingly hard question to answer." Bathazar replied. His tone shifted to one which was serious and dark, sending a chill down Promesteins' spine at the way his eyes shifted underneath his mask. "Due to a number of factors, ranging from records being lost to the flames of war, to conspirators who altered facts for political or some other form of gain, the exact details of the founding days of the Empire are unknown." It was at that, Gelt got up, and walked to the door, gesturing to wait. He then walked up to where a desk sat, and picked up what Promestein recognized as one of the rosarious' depicting the ball of flame with a hammer on it. "One of the things-" he stopped upon hearing a sizzling sound, then continued upon seeing it was just Promestein cooking what looked to be pork. "One of the things that is agreed on was that he born to a mortal family in a tribe of Humans which existed over two thousand, five hundred years ago."

* * *

**POV SHIFT**

* * *

As the Angels with Illias, who had been listening in on the conversation between Promestein and Gelt, all then looked to their mother and leader, then to Sigmar, who could be seen observing the two through the Well-Spring Illias used to watch her domain. The Goddess of Light raised a finger as she was about to question him with an "Um..." about what Balthazar revealed casually about the Patron God of the Empire, then made a humming sound as she stopped and realized that the oncoming history lesson was likely going to be giving an explanation.

* * *

**POV SHIFT**

* * *

"As it is understood in the present day, in that time period Humanity was but a pale of what it is now become in my world. The vast majority were organized into what you heard my men refer to as Tribes, which were essentially small, semi-nomadic communities that were united by various ties such as a group of families that were banding together to find a permanent home, and then uniting by blood as members from each family married one another. At that time, we did not have access to steel, and so the most advanced tools one could find in the most successful of these clansmen were almost always ones made with bronze, while the rest made due with flint and obsidian. Each of them had their own identity, culture, religious views and more that were shaped by their environment and other factors, leading to many having to develop into warrior barbarians due to frequent attacks by other Tribes and also the race of Greenskins known as the Orcs and Goblins. Sigmar was born of the Unberogen, who lived in Reikdorf, where present-day Altdorf was built."

"Why the name change?"

"It had experienced a downward spiral in its economy due to Goblin raids until it had walls built around it and was built by one of the first Emperors after Sigmar."

"Ah. So your world has Goblins as well? Ours are... well, you know what this world is like."

"Moving on. During this time, the Tribes had been driven into their homelands trying to escape the Greenskin hordes, as they did not have the military might to fight off the threat they posed, and on the night of his birth, the Twin-Tailed Comet was seen sailing above the village, which this rosarious depicts." Gelt held up the token in question. "The Twin-Tailed Comet is an astronomical oddity in my world, which has always appeared before historically significant events happened, typically involving Chaos. As a result, it was believed by many in his tribe, the Unberogens, that he was destined for greatness, both as the son of the chieftain of the Tribe, and within the world itself. He would grow to become a prominent warrior even by the standards of his peers in his youth within the Unberogens, famed for his ferocity and prowess against those he fought, though his rise to glory as the founder of the Empire would not start until his fifteenth year."

"Wait, he was fighting at a younger age then 15?" Promestein asked, setting aside her plate, noting Gelt had not eaten or drank anything. "How violent is your world?"

"Enough that not having walls around your home village is practically a death sentence in its own right." Balthazar Gelt replied. "It was around this time, that Sigmar had a following of fellow warriors around him as well, and had been exploring the forest around his home on patrol, when he and his men encountered a group of Orcs, who had been returning to their camp after ambushing a convoy of Dwarfs that was known to trade with the Unberogen and other Human Tribes. Sigmar and his men then took this opportunity to attack them in kind, freeing those Dwarfs who had been taken prisoner, as well as taking the opportunity to slay the leader of the Orcs, who was recognized as the War Boss of the horde the Orcs belonged to, called Vagraz Headstomper. To get an idea of what a Dwarf is, they are a race of creatures similar to Humans, but about waist high and often sporting beards that often grow to great lengths."

"There is a creature like that that was seen in Sentoria. Would the name Bardin ring any bells?" Promestein asked. Gelt turned to the red-head with a surprised look.

"Yes, he was part of the Ubersreik Five. Are you saying he has been running around in Sentoria this whole time?"

"Well he is not alone, the other members of their group had ended up in this world. I was actually going to ask about them and their other member Kerillian after your history lesson."

"Hmm, well, yes Bardin is an example of what a Dwarf is. And Orcs, think of giant green skined men that have a massive addiction to fighting and killing everything around them. And I mean _everything._" Balthazar explained. "Having an Orc WAAGH! running around in your lands is a pain in the arse, even with all the weapons, artillery and magic at the Empires' disposal. They would make the Monsters of this world preferable to deal with, since Monsters can actually experience fear and horror enough to not swarm us, whereas if Hellgondo had a native population of Orcs, every one of them would almost certainly be banging on the gates of this castle by now, the blighted..." Gelt then trailed off into grumbling about them in general, to which Promestein cleared her throat. "Ah yes, wandering off topic. So as I was saying..."

* * *

**POV SHIFT**

* * *

_We're here! _Slyph cried out cheerfully, as the giant Mud Doll lowered its hand to let Alice and Luka off of it. As Alice looked at the oasis, she sensed nobody else was around, while the crystal clear and cool water was still and glistening in the sun. a number of plants were growing along the border of the life-giving liquid, but other then that, there was nothing special about it.

"What makes this oasis different from any other?" she asked, when she turned to see that Gnomes' giant Mud Doll was already standing up. Luka, who was beside her examining the oasis, turned as it stomped away.

"Hey, where is she going?" Luka asked. Alice, still nursing her burned arm, looked at it as she replied.

"Most likely she is going to put all that dirt and earth back into the hole she formed her giant Mud Doll out of back where it belongs. AH!" she cried out, and Luka turned to see she had tried to take her glove off, which was singed as well. However, the fabric was clinging to her burned skin, and it hard to tell which was flesh to fabric. The Human then walked up to her, and offered to take her arm.

"May I see it?" Alice stared at him, her eyes examining the boy for signs of intending to take advantage of the situation somehow due to her weakened state. However, the Lamia Lord remembered who it was she was with, and took her chances by extending her arm for Luka to examine closely. Unaware of the mental chastising she was giving herself, Luka traced a finger down her half shoulder-length glove, to where it became charred about two-thirds the way to her elbow. Luka then began to rummage through his backpack, he began to explain what he was doing. "Alice, I have some idea of what to do, but it is likely going to hurt a bit. Due to the nature of Monster physiology, I am only going to do some basic first-aid to make sure it doesn't get worse with what I know."

"First-aid?"

"Essentially treating an injury to make it does not get any worse then it does. I remember a girl who was injured after an accident in the kitchen involving some oil that was set on fire. Thankfully, her home was not burned down, but her arm was burned to a relatively similar degree, and it only was prevented from getting any worse because her brother was there to help put it out. He taught me some stuff about what to do if I was injured, and needed to seek medical help." Luka explained. "First-aid is a fairly new concept that is being built around this kind of stuff, but first I need to remove your glove. It is sticking to your skin, and it won't heal properly until I get it off." Alice then saw that he pulled out a knife. As the two looked at each other, he added "Do you trust me enough to let me do that?" nodding, Alice gave him her arm, then proceeded to wince as she felt it reach the afflicted part of her limb.

"Does it... ggeah, does it hurt as much as it did for the Human girl you mentioned?" Alice asked, her hand clenching into a fist automatically and making it worse.

"No, in fact she lost all feeling and use in that arm, and slowly regained the ability to over a three-week healing period. From what her brother explained, it was due to the excessive amount of damage to her skin. Apparently, Monster durability extends to the senses as well. Nowadays from when I last saw her before embarking on this quest, she is fine, but her arm did not properly heal and as a result she can't move her hand and fingers as well as she did before, though there are cases of Humans losing all mobility in a severely burned area like what she suffered." Alice was unnerved at the idea of losing all feeling in her arm for nearly a whole month, let along permanently losing all functionality in her hands. Of course, Monsters never have to worry about such ailments unless magic was involved, but the image of such a minor thing as a cooking accident permanently crippling a Human?

_How the hell do Humans not go insane from that, knowing Monsters are barely, if ever effected by such small things? _She thought, then snapped out of her stupor of thought as she felt Luka peel the glove off of her arm. "GGAAHH!" she screamed after he finished, holding her arm closely as it began to throb. After a moment, she could see blackness forming in the corner of her vision, as she was suddenly overcome by a sense of lethargy. "Luka, I think you screwed up." she slurred, falling to the side.

"Ah crap." he then caught the Lamia, who looked up at him as he placed her head on his lap. "Alice was is-" he stopped, and Alice felt a jolt of pain as he pressed a hand to the side of her stomach, and she realized she felt something trickling down that part of her. It was confirmed what it was as she craned her head, and saw blood on his hand. "Damn it, your going into shock. Shit, shit shit shit!" he cursed, growing agitated much to her worry. "That son of a... ok, Luka don't panic and make things worse. Think, what to do..." Luka mumbled to himself, when he stopped and looked at the oasis. As his eyes glowed, he began to scan the area around him. "Slyph, what is all this?" A moment passed as the Spirit communicated with Luka, and his face screwed up tight. "You don't know? How though, unless..." he seemed to then have an epiphany at that moment, and then raised a hand towards the direction of the oasis, a green glow suffusing his body a few seconds after he did so. As he looked at Alice and placed it on the Lamias' stomach, she began to feel what paradoxically could be called a chilling warmth spread throughout her body, as she felt her skin knitting itself together, and her pain grow dull then disappeared altogether. Her nausea went away, and her skin returned to its purple hue, though a close inspection revealed that her belly tattoo was broken where the spell the Skaven cast first scorched her.

While examining her body further, Luka stopped casting whatever magic he was using, and Alice then saw the green light he was using slowly fade away into the very air itself. It was then Slyph appeared, visibly happy that the Monster Lord was healed, while Luka examined the glove he took off of her hand, or at least what remained of it.

"Yaaay, you did it! You saved Alice!" she cheered him on, when the Monster Lord then cleared her throat. As the Wind Spirit and Luka turned to Alice, they noticed that she was staring at them with a serious look.

"Luka... I am, thankful for what you did. You could have just left me there to die, as even my body was clearly unable." she said, closing her eyes for a moment as the Lamia spread her tail out into the sun, unconsciously basking in it.

"What? Why would I... never mind." the Human boy said, noticing the smirk that crossed Alices' face at same him get flustered for a moment.

"Though I have to wonder Slyph, how were you able to tell that Luka was able to utilize that magic?" it was then that the Wind Spirit had become hesitant in her reply as she turned to where Gnome had left.

"Well, uh he was able to see the latent magic that has been coursing through the world since all of this started, and as it happened Undine was starting to suspect what it was, since he is the only one, Human or Monster that has thus far noted the way this magic has been flowing into the world. She would explain it better." Slyph said, as the two stared at her. Alices' eyes narrowed slightly, as Luka looked between the two.

"Alright, I'll drop the conversation for now. We'll just have to wait for Undine to explain herself. Luka, hows our supplies?" Alice said, turning to her companion as she spoke to him.

"We can easily reach Sabasa by the day, though I would recommend staying here for a bit to rest." Luka replied. Alice nodded, then smiled lightly as he took a spot under the shade of a tree going nearby. "What?"

"Nothing. I just noticed how nice it is to bask in the sun here."

* * *

**POV SHIFT**

* * *

"...and with the end of the Battle of Black Fire Pass being an overwhelming victory against the Orcs, Sigmar had finally secured security of the lands of the Twelve Tribes, and in thanks for bringing the armies of Mankind to his side, the Dwarf High King bade that twelve swords, one for each of the Tribes united by Sigmar, known today as the Runefangs with which the Elector Counts and the Emperor wield as symbols of their office. And with the slaying of an enemy that was only beaten through standing together as one, the old hatreds for each other were replaced with a sense of brotherhood that was hard as iron, achieved only by the baptism in shed blood shared by all as they all bowed the knee to Sigmar, thus was the Empire of Man created." Balthasar concluded, while an attentive Promestein took in every word with an interest that was only ever seen among her peers when she had discovered something through her many scientific endeavors. The story of the Empire of Mans' founding was one that had enraptured the Angel with a lot of information to take in about the world of Balthazars' origin at large.

"So how did he come to be venerated as a God then?" The Angel asked, when she then realized something. "Wait, have you eaten at all? I was actually enthralled by your story, that I forgot to let you know you can have this food as well."

"It's fine, I already ate." Gelt said. "As for how the Cult of Sigmar was founded, that would have to be a story for another time." Promestein was about to protest, then realized that the tale to the founding of the Empire was already lengthy enough as is.

"Alright then, so what would you like to know about me, or of our world in general?" Promestein asked, shifting in place to await Gelts' question.

"Yeah, actually I have a question concerning this particular book here. What exactly are the Seekers of Truth? From what I could tell, you were their founder, and the Dark Goddess did not take too well to that for some reason when you were involved in the development of the Humans of this world." Balthazar asked, as he held up a book. Promestein, upon recognizing the cover, developed an expression of shock, followed by a glare of anger as she clenched her fist. Gelt was surprised and taken aback by the strong reaction. "Ok, perhaps too personal-" suddenly the red head had another mood swing, shuddering as she seemed to recoil some kind of emotional hurt, and rubbed at her forehead with a hand as she tried to get a hold of herself. "...Promestein? Are you ok?" Balthazar asked.

"I was until this subject came up, though I thought it would be something for later. That book, is of my trial and punishment for the crime of founding the first Seekers of Truth, who were an order I created that tried to put Human on equal grounds against the Monsters in an event that war broke out between the two races without us Angels to support Humanity. At least, that was what I was doing officially." Promestein replied. The Supreme Patriarch stared at the Angel, his mask gleaming from the light coming from the window impassively, while his eyes were conveying a questioning look. As she proceeded to prepare and tell him of what made her react the way she did.

* * *

**POV SHIFT**

* * *

As the Angels began to shift uncomfortably, Eden stood up. "Oh hell, she is actually bringing that up. Mother, shouldn't we stop her? Mother?" the third daughter of the Angels created by Illias looked at the Goddess of Light. Surprisingly, the Goddess of Heaven was not showing any signs of discomfort, instead watching the two with her hands folded over her mouth. As she took a moment to continue watching the two, Illias sighed, then turned to Eden.

"Let her speak. Stopping Promestein at this point would only make her anger towards me worse. She has always been hiding her rage and hate since _that_ happened, but even she has her limits." Sigmar held up an eyebrow, as though he genuinely was surprised by this development from the normally overly controlling Goddess. As she cast her own gaze in return, Sigmar had turned his attention back to Balthasar and Promestein

* * *

**POV SHIFT**

* * *

"When I was created from the Light Element in Heaven, Illias had already established herself as a part of this world in its southern hemisphere being inhabited by her creations, that being Humanity. The Dark Goddess, Alice Fateburn the First took the north as her realm on this world, as due to their nature of being Dark and Light, the two couldn't be in each others presence. One function of the Angels was to act as her envoys for messages to the Humans, and it was fairly common in those days for my kin to take a man for a companion for one reason or another. The Dark Goddess of course created the beings known as the Monsters, who at the time were not as... problematic as they were at the time. As a result Sentoria would then become a kind of middle ground that both Humans and Monsters basically ended up intermingling with each other, and at the time there was a kind of... understanding between the Goddesses that since there was no friction between the races, they had no need to interfere." Promestein explained. "One major reason was the difference in birthrates between then and now of male Monsters, who were just as common back then as females, but were still largely matriarchal in leadership. Most Humans when they encountered Monsters were typically ones that had their own settlements and thus often engaged in trading with their neighbors. Even so, the prevalence of fighting to establish a pecking order was still just as much importance to the Monsters, who resolved their issues through the sword and fist way of doing things."

"Just like Orcs... only hornier." Balthazar muttered dryly.

"Correct. At the time, I never bothered to care much about what was going on in the world at the time, and was usually in Heaven, Illias' realm busy in a laboratory she made for me to sate my want to know how and what made the universe around me turn. I was viewed as weird and eccentric at the time by most of the Angels, but they often became curious about such things as well, and I sometimes would find myself developing a new medicine for the sick and afflicted, things like that. Most of the time, it was for Humanity, as they were the only ones who got sick and had to deal with that kind of thing. Then, news started circulating about a drop in the male population of Monsters, and with less males of their kind to satisfy their needs..." Promestein said, letting Balthazar finish.

"...the female populace turned on their Human neighbors. And that was when the hostility of today began to set in between both Goddesses." Promestein looked at the Supreme Patriarch as he answered her.

"Exactly. At the time however, this did become a problem that was as pandemic as it is now, because the Humans of that time had the Druids."

"Druids?" Balthazar asked. Promestein saw he was familiar with the term, but was clearly waiting to see her elaborate.

"Yes. Essentially, they were a sub-species of Humans Illias created who were the main direct links between her and the Humans she made. As it happened, there was third party, known as the Tree-Kin in Human terms. They were there long before both Goddesses came to this world, and both had made their own pacts with them to live in symbiosis with the world, hence why they used already established creatures as a basis for their creations. Illias also created the Druids to serve as her why of allowing Humans to communicate with the Tree-Kin as well as commanded them to serve their needs, allowing for better relations with the beings that lived in the forests of the world."

"That sounds like Athel Lorens." Promestein looked at the Supreme Patriarch. "It is an enchanted forest from my world, and is home to the Wood Elves, who named it as such. Though while the Tree-Kin you described sound passive and docile toward Illias and her counterpart, Athel Lorens tends to be more aggressive in its response to those that intrude in its domain. From what I remember of doing diplomacy with the Wood Elves," Balthazars' tone dripped with annoyance at whatever memories that brought up "Athel Lorens at one point was invaded by the Daemons of Chaos, and the war effort needed to repel the Never-Born had led to Athel Lorens becoming essentially a forest of mostly very angry Tree-Kin who will lash out with absolute violence at even the slightest provocation until the thing that provoked them is but a bloody pile of guts and torn limbs." Promestein noted that, and then continued speaking.

"Well, sounds really bad for long term health of the Wood Elves."

"That's why they tend to avoid the more psychotic ones, and interact only with those that have a modicum of restraint left in their minds."

"Well, we don't have that problem, though that was likely from not having Chaos run rampant in said Tree-Kins' domain. As it happened however, during this time of growing tensions I was eventually summoned by Illias, who had tried to get the Dark Goddess to restore some semblance of order within her Monsters. However, she had refused to listen, as she was largely unconcerned about the consequences of her actions with the exception of those few Human kings who launched various crusades against the Monsters, wherein she would attack them for intruding on Monster territories and killing those who weren't involved with the raids on their lands."

* * *

**POV SHIFT**

* * *

As Teclis and Hapricorn were eating and conversing, the High Loremaster stopped and turned to look up at the roof.

"Something wrong?"

"I just felt what a sudden rise in the amount of anger being channeled into the Warp... though it currently is focused only on the Dark Goddess. Apparently Illias has been reminded of why she hates Monsters again."

* * *

**POV SHIFT**

* * *

"As a result, Illias tasked me to prepare the Human race in this world for the possibility of a war breaking out between Angels and Monsters. Of course, due to the fact that the Dark Goddess was... not welcoming of anyone who was willing to do such a thing, I was to keep this a secret from those Human I was to bring my knowledge to. Working in the shadows, I thus founded the first Seekers of Truth, an organization which acted as my network of acquiring the resources necessary to accomplish my goals, as well as research into why the decline of male Monsters was occurring, and testing of weaponry for use against the Monsters." Promestein said. "Much of their work was set on other avenues as well, like betterment of Human cities through better construction like improving their walls and homes. I would also design a number of labs throughout the world to ensure no matter where I was, I could continue my research as well as leave in a hurry should news came that someone was prying to closely into the Seekers and their true purpose. It was eventually that I ended up making an error upon entering a lab to test an invention of mine that was meant to be a weapon, and was caught developing a strain of tuberculosis capable of bypassing the immunity to disease that all Monsters had, though you might know it more as consumption." Balthazar Gelt visibly cringed at the thought. He was aware of consumption, and had even had to fight off a Nurgle worshiping band of Chaos who had unleashed a hyper-virulent version of the disease that had ravaged the southern part of the Empires' borders.

"How did you plan on keeping it from infecting Humans though?" Balthazar Gelt asked. Promestein then sighed, already sensing his feelings of 'what the hell were you thinking?!' from his tone of voice.

"That was one of the things I was working on, as I had discovered how to design it meticulously, to the point that it could have all the symptoms, but none of the infectious. The way this was done was that it could only be transferred through a Monsters' blood, by feeding on their unique chemistry that allowed for their females to have the ability to feed on semen. As a result, in a Human population getting it, the plague would simply starve and leave it intact. Another Angel, name Lucifina however, entered my lab while I was checking on the final product. She was Illias' right-hand maiden, the Valkyrie Queen of Heaven, and wanted to see what I was doing to improve Humanity. However, she did so without letting Illias know she was visiting me, and thus I was unaware she was coming to see me. Not only that, but to ensure that the Dark Goddess and her Ancestor Lords would never learn of Illias' true intentions when I founded the Seekers of Truth, Lucifina and the other Angels were never told about any of my weapons research and development, only that I was there to give Humanity a boost to its education and quality of life."

Balthazar Gelt could see the logic in that. "Design a plague to be released into the Monster populace where they were strongest and most populated, and cripple them early on in the war. That is something that would be too risky for the Empire to consider." Promestein nodded.

"Well, when your opponent literally is on a league that puts them so overwhelmingly above you and your comrades in every comparable measure like the difference between Angels and Monsters did, every little bit you do to gain even something of an edge against your enemy matters, that was my mindset to any kind of war breaking out." Promestein paused for a bit, as she brushed aside a lock of her hair that got in her face.

"Long story short, Lucifina did not think so due to having a code of honor she believed in, and thinking I had gone rogue reported what she found to both Illias, and Minagi the Ancestor Lord of Succubi, who at the time was suspicious of the Seekers of Truth being possibly responsible for making a number of her children disappear, but could never gain a case against me, and simply barging in and killing me on the spot like she would a regular Human without proof would be risking incurring Illias' wrath upon Monster-kind at last if she didn't find anything to vindicate herself. I was tried as being guilty of slaughtering Monsters, Illias denied all knowledge of my work to avoid giving the Dark Goddess fuel to declare her and her Monsters the victim party, and I was shunned by my former peers and thrown into Tartarus, a prison built by the Dark Goddess which resulted in my being tortured for the next thousand years or so. I lost track of how long I was there after five centuries." Balthazar Gelt felt his stomach turn at that. "Among the many things that was done there however, none hurt more then knowing Illias had rejected me, and the looks of horror and shock many of my peers had towards me. Due to the fact that the Monsters had come to view themselves as invincible creatures who are titans among ants at this point in time due to them now realizing the sheer difference in power between them and Humans, Illias was also able to convince the Dark Goddess to keep it a secret as to the exact details of my 'crime,' and few Monsters ever truly cared about such things as my trial to begin with, so that is probably one of the few records ever written about what happened." Promestein then chuckled mirthlessly as she leaned back on her seat.

"What?"

"You probably think I'm pathetic for it right? I had one simple thing to do to keep this from spiraling out of control as a guardian of Humanity, and I screwed it up by making a plague that the worst nightmares of my charge could use to justify their actions. Now, I serve the Goddess who had me thrown into one of the worst locations to be in if your Human, and doing the same thing now after being treated like trash." Balthazar took a few seconds before he answered.

"I have my own thoughts on what has happened to you, but pathetic is not one of them." Promestein looked at Balthazar Gelt, and was genuinely surprised by the look in his eyes, which for lack of a better term, had changed from his normal, judgmental look, to one in which she couldn't read. "As it stands, if I had not personally seen just how durable Monster-kind are to the point that the Earth Knight Tamano at one point took a full volley of handgun fire and ran away after wards like nothing happened, I probably would have deemed you as having gone too far. You may have been justified in trying to make _something _to arm the Humans to be able to fight back, you may not. The simple matter is, you were in one of the most absolutely insane circumstances I can imagine, facing a potential enemy that was of a scale that you required going to extreme lengths to fight back. As far as I care, you were one of a few rare and far between sane individuals that was caught in a sea of madness... and body fluids." Promestein looked away, not quite sure what to say, and also had to suppress the need to both laugh and cringe from the last words added by Balthasar.

"So, you don't hate me for what I have done? Even with what I told you?"

"It is not my place to say whether you deserved such a fate, but no, I do not hate you for it." Gelt repeated. Promestein shuffled for a bit, looking at her hands which were on her knees.

"I'm done for the day, if you don't mind..." with that, she stood up, and Balthazar helped her pack everything she brought back into the basket she carried with her into the room. As she was about to leave, she turned to the Supreme Patriarch. "Balthazar?" the man turned to her, his golden robe flowing like molten gold behind him. "Thank you." with that, she left the room, while Balthazar looked at the book he found, opening a page within it that had an image of Promestein shackled by her ankles and wrists. One of the details he noticed was a pair of wings that were similar to the ones her kin were seen, which were missing when he looked back at the actual Angel herself.


End file.
